Access & Linkage with Clinical Care
Greene County Public Health strives to create sustainable, effective linkages between health care providers and community organizations to improve patients' access to preventive and chronic care services by developing partnerships between organizations that share a common goal of improving the health of people and the communities of Greene County.
Our goals include:
- Coordinating health care delivery, public health, and community-based activities to promote health behaviors
- Forming partnerships and relationships among clinical, community organizations and public health to fill the gaps in needed Services
- Promoting patient, family, and community involvement in strategic planning and improvement activities.
Types of linkages include coordinating services at one location, coordinating services between locations, and developing ways to refer patients to resources. Effective linkages offer:
- Patients get more help in changing unhealthy behaviors
- Clinicians get help in offering services to patients that they cannot provide themselves
- Community programs get help in connecting with clients for whom their services were designed.
Strategies that improve access to clinical preventative services (such as screening and counseling), community-level activities, and appropriate medical treatment have been shown to reduce and prevent disease in communities. Collaborations between clinical, community and public health organizations offer a win-win scenario for all.