Safety Net Advancement Center

What we do:

Our team focuses on interventions to improve equity and access for underserved populations; and determining how organizations that help underserved populations respond to payment reform and care delivery reform. The Center leads projects in a number of timely and important areas for improving population health, including: integrating behavioral health and primary care, identifying alignment mechanisms for multi-sector systems collaboration, designing and developing value-based payment mechanisms, expanding substance use/misuse prevention and treatment services for incarcerated persons, working with police and fire departments to improve services for persons with behavioral health disorders, and studying international efforts to reduce transfusion-transmitted infections.

Who we are:

Our large, diverse team contains members from six sectors that make up the bulk of the health care safety net system: a) Federally Qualified Health Centers, b) Community Mental Health Centers, c) Public County Hospitals, d) Tribal Health Centers, e) Critical Access Hospitals, and f) Oral Health Providers. We have collaborated with over 200 partner organizations locally, regionally, and national; including AHCCCS, Maricopa County Jail, Phoenix Fire Department, Phoenix and Mesa Police Department, the Crisis Response Network, the Northern Arizona Health System, Arizona Dental Association (ADA), MercyCare, Aetna, United Healthcare, Dignity Health, Abrazos, and several of community health centers.

Why it’s important:

Healthcare in the United States is a patchwork of providers, programs and insurance systems with significant gaps. More and more individuals and families are under- or un-insured—making healthcare access difficulty or impossible. Millions of Americans lack access to basic care, experiencing needless pain and suffering that devastates well-being. Despite, reports that document the extent of health problems in America, there remains significant and persistent differences among groups in the rate of disease, as well as access to health care that disproportionately affects the poor and most vulnerable members of our nation. Vulnerable families are more likely to have higher medical expenses in relation to their income.

The institutions and health professionals that deliver care to the under-insured and other vulnerable populations are often referred to as ‘safety-net providers.’ These providers offer services (which may be limited) to patients regardless of their ability to pay. Not all communities have safety net providers or institutions. Isolated or disadvantaged groups continue to face significant barriers to care, including young and elderly, language, cultural, racial, geographic and organizational barriers.

Working to fill the gaps in healthcare, provide cost-effective access, and re-designing how healthcare works is essential to meeting the needs of our vulnerable populations and improving health outcomes. A safety net system may be the most effective and efficient way to provide healthcare services.

Leadership