Project update: community-clinical linkages

Partners across the region are building strong partnerships between the clinical and community workforce to improve local health outcomes. OCH is inspired by the recent successes on local community-clinical linkage projects.

Community-clinical linkages are defined as connections between community and clinical sectors to improve population health. When clinical and community partners work together, better health outcomes are achievable for everyone. We are stronger together.

“The power of partnerships is synergistic and by each organization coming together to help people in the ways they each know best how to help is paving a pathway for people to enjoy genuine successes.” – Federally Qualified Health Center partner

Late 2020, OCH contracted partners submitted community-clinical project proposals that outlined ambitious work they set out to achieve in 2021. In late 2021, partners reported progress and updates on their intended projects. Many projects surpassed planned milestones and saw incredible successes.

Other projects pivoted to better address community needs as COVID-19 continued to impact the region. Although these projects deviated from original plans, the intention to best serve individuals and address community needs through partnership was ever present.

“What we thought might be the most important thing to do, to work on, to be successful in might be for another time, perhaps in the near future, but there are critical issues that we need to work on as they surface in our communities, and we should be prepared to work on them together.” – Community-based organization

As the year came to a close, partners reflected on various facilitators of success. Most progress would not have been achievable without dedicated, multi-sector partners working together towards a collective goal.

“The next step is collaborative projects within the community. We cannot make meaningful impacts to the region if everyone is doing something different. We need to come together as a collective within our community, clearly identify areas needing improvement, and agree on an area of focus.” - Tribal health clinic

Most partners have plans to sustain these projects, and some are even working to expand. OCH is excited to continue to foster collaboration across the region and we look forward to re-invigorating connections in 2022.