K-LINK IS SYSTEMS CHANGE
We are changing the way community providers work together
FOR YEARS AND YEARS,
we, the K-LINK partners serving western Klickitat
and eastern Skamania counties, have seen the
negative impacts that a lack of services and lack of coordination have on our patients, clients, and students every day. Oftentimes, multiple local providers and agencies serve essentially the same populations–and in many cases, the exact same people. We recognize that if our efforts become siloed, we can limit the positive impacts on those populations and those individuals we are intending to support. So...
...WE JUST DECIDED TO DO IT DIFFERENTLY
In Fall 2019, staff from a couple of local organizations began discussing how to better serve clients, patients, students, parents, and the community as a whole. After a few meetings the group had expanded and it focused on
two areas: 1) increase the amount of available services and,
2) increase the level of collaboration between those services.
THEN, with funding help from SWACH (Southwest
Washington Accountable Community Health)...
KLICKITAT COMMUNITY-CLINIC LINK (K-LINK) WAS LAUNCHED
with the basic goal of increasing the number of care coordinators in the community and
increasing the level of communication and collaboration between those providers. We have undertaken
the following strategies to achieve our goal:
1) Develop a collaborative to connect clinical providers and community services
2) Expand Pathways care coordination model by hiring two new full-time Community Health Workers (CHWs)
3) Increase care coordination for youth & families in schools through new
Family Health Advocate positions
4) Increase behavioral/mental health supports & services with more case management and more direct behavioral health services.
5) Offer training for staff and community members in mental health first aid, trauma informed practices, de-escalation practices, parent support, etc.
TODAY, THESE STAFF ARE SERVING COMMUNITY MEMBERS, AND THEY ARE CONNECTING, COMMUNICATING, AND COLLABORATING WITH EACH OTHER, WHICH MEANS COMMUNITY MEMBERS ARE RECEIVING BETTER, MORE RESPONSIVE SUPPORT.
AS IT TURNS OUT, SOMETIMES THE ONLY THING YOU NEED
TO MAKE A CHANGE, IS SIMPY DECIDE TO CHANGE.