Gateway Health Taps Population Health for Maternal Health Outcomes

June 17, 2021 - Gateway Health Plan has partnered with the 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health to improve the outcomes of expecting mothers and babies. The managed care organization will work with 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health to roll out its Community Care HUB, a program focusing on care coordination with community partners.

The Community Care HUB follows the Pathways Community HUB model to coordinate care for eligible mothers with gestational diabetes and refer them to partners in the community that will work to improve their health outcomes.

Through the program, eligible mothers will be connected to a community health worker who works individually with the mother to identify her specific needs. The community health worker has an expansive knowledge of community programs and will be able to connect the mothers to the programs best suited for their needs, the groups said. The goal is to improve both medical and social needs ranging from employment to care access and transportation. 

"We are grateful to collaborate with Gateway Health and connect community health workers with their at-risk pregnant members," Jeannine McMillan, executive director of Community Care HUB said in a press release. "There are so many amazing social and medical service providers in our region and the community health workers connecting individuals to these resources will have a significant impact on improving the health outcomes of those most vulnerable in our communities."

The program is free to eligible participants and will include face-to-face visits between the members and their community health worker.

"At Gateway Health, we believe in caring for the whole person in all communities where the need is greatest and we see a future where everyone has an equal opportunity to achieve their best health," explained Regina Vercilla, vice president of clinical strategy and innovation at Gateway Health. "We are proud to partner with the Community Care HUB, an organization that shares our whole person care approach. Through this partnership, we aim to improve maternal health outcomes by meeting our members directly where they are."

Gateway Health plans to roll out the program in two Pennsylvania counties, Cambria and Somerset, that were among the least healthy when considering the community impact on health outcomes. Cambria was the second lowest ranked county for health outcomes in the state.

"We are proud to have Gateway Health as a partner on this important initiative. This is exactly the kind of innovative payer-provider partnerships we need to accelerate population health improvement," Billy Oglesby, interim dean of the Jefferson College of Population Health said.

This partnership joins a long list of others recently established to address patient social determinants of health:

• Florida Blue and New Directions Behavioral Health increase access to substance abuse treatment
• The Cigna Foundation grants for nonprofit organizations to further educational enrollment from school from Pre-K to post-secondary schooling
• Blue Cross NC partners with Benefits Data Trust, Manna Food Bank, and others address food insecurity
• The United Health Foundation and CMBA, Inc. improve access to prenatal care

These non-clinical factors influencing health have been shown to impact a patient’s health more than the medical care she receives. So more than half (54 percent) of provider organizations are deploying strategies to address social determinants of health.

Working alongside payer and community partners, providers can broaden their reach and resources to truly help patients overcome some of the biggest challenges to a healthy life and better outcomes.

Partnerships like Gateway and 1889 Jefferson Center for Population Health follow this trend and increase access to key community and clinical resources for mothers in need.