Cross-sector collaboration for vulnerable populations reduces utilization and strengthens community partnerships

Adventist Health Clear Lake is located in one of the poorest counties in California, with health rankings in the lowest decile of the state. Fire devastation, lack of affordable housing, modest employment opportunities, and widespread addiction have stretched the limited resources of the response system in this rural community. An innovative, cross-sector, interprofessional collaborative was formed to address the needs of community members who were high utilizers of the police, emergency, criminal justice, and healthcare systems. The collaborative approach was associated with a 44% reduction in hospital utilization, an 83% reduction in community response system usage, and a 71% reduction in costs for the population. Cross-sector, interprofessional collaboration between community agencies that share a select group of community members is an effective way to stabilize care, decrease healthcare and community system overutilization, improve care delivery, and reduce the costs of associated care.