Collaborative Health Communities (CHC) is a community-led model built with rural contexts as the primary driver of design. Adapted from the Accountable Health Communities model piloted by the CMS Innovation Center, these structured systems aim to address health-related social needs and coordinate clinical care by operationalizing clinical-community linkages. CHC is being implemented in two rural communities, each with a different focus area: maternal and birth outcomes and chronic illness. This demonstrates that the model is a promising practice for reducing health disparities regardless of health conditions.
CHC is an investment in rural communities, giving them the space to ask themselves, “What if?” and “How can? What if a community member could obtain services and resources that meet all their needs through just one connection? How can we remove barriers to services that prevent people from receiving the support they need? To date, there has not been implementation of a model strategically designed to meet the needs of rural South Carolina to improve population health by community residents.
The Model
Provision of services that respect and value the differences of community members by actively identifying and removing barriers, including structural barriers. Health equity ensures everyone has a fair and just chance to be as healthy as possible. CHC considers the impact of their intervention on the entire community's health.
Multisector collaborations will struggle to create a unified vision and the infrastructure needed for lasting change without committed and strong leadership. Shared governance is the key to the success of CHC. Expectations and standards are made explicit, and everyone has a seat at the table and is equally held accountable for improving the health and well-being of their community.
Communities are the primary decision-makers regarding what services are needed and how they are delivered. Community members actively develop interventions for their rural communities using their local data.
CHC emphasizes data-driven decision-making and leverages evidence-informed practices while performing continuous quality improvement activities to reach optimal success.
Recognizing that systems of care need to be built to be flexible to evolving payment models and accelerate the growth of rural moving to value-based care.
