Sansum ClinicSource: Sansum Clinic
In order to help bridge the gap between healthcare and social services, Sansum Clinic is launching an online resource for patients called the Community Resources Hub or communityresources.sansumclinic.org which is accessible from any device with Internet. This health IT solution provides easy online access to free or reduced-cost health resources and social services. The Community Resources Hub is a collaboration between Sansum Clinic and Aunt Bertha, the nation’s leading social care network connecting people and programs so they can find services in their communities and get the assistance they need. “During this global pandemic, we are noticing more frequently the growing number of social challenges our patients are facing,” remarked Kurt Ransohoff, MD, FACP, Sansum Clinic CEO and Chief Medical Officer. “It is our hope that this important resource will provide some greatly-needed relief not only for those we serve, but for any community member that needs assistance at this difficult time.”
The Community Resources Hub gives Sansum Clinic physicians and staff a place to direct patients when they identify non-medical needs like food or housing insecurity, lack of employment or transportation, and other social challenges. Our teams are also able to make a referral to a Hub resource on behalf of a patient directly in his or her electronic health record where it is recorded and can be followed up on.
There are many social factors impacting our patients’ health from the moment that are born. Determinants like housing and living conditions, employment, education and diet can all create disparities in healthcare outcomes. Now more than ever, navigating the system to access social services to remove some of these obstacles can be hard, time-consuming and often frustrating. In an effort to improve lives and health, Sansum Clinic is proud to offer this community service by partnering with Aunt Bertha which has built a vast network to simplify the process of locating social services here locally and nationwide.
About Sansum Clinic
Since its founding in 1921, Sansum Clinic has been improving the overall health of its patients by providing the latest innovations in equipment, technology, procedures and treatments. Sansum Clinic is the largest independent nonprofit healthcare organization between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Francisco Bay Area. With more than 220 affiliated physicians, Sansum Clinic serves more than 130,000 patients (800,000) annually at our 22 patient care facilities in south Santa Barbara County. To learn more, please visit www.sansumclinic.org.
