By Paul Wormeli Even as there becomes greater acceptance of the need for interoperability across domains and disciplines in order to address serious social problems such as the opioid epidemic, cultural challenges remain as major obstacles to the practical implementation of this concept. One clear case study revealing the obstacles to interoperability can be found […]
Category: Human Services
Lessons from the Field: How to Successfully Share Data across Programs
Mary-Sara Jones, IBM Cross-program data-sharing has been one of the most popular topics at Health and Human Services conferences this year. Many states and counties are exploring different models of collaboration and integration, some focused on improving the client’s ability to engage with government, others on improving the agency’s ability to engage holistically with […]
Connecting the Dots: NIC . . . the Kresge Foundation . . . and the Road to Better Health and Well-being
By Daniel Stein, President, Stewards of Change Institute One of the underpinnings of our work at the National Interoperability Collaborative (NIC) is the understanding that “people constantly navigate multiple, interconnected systems — from education, transportation and employment to health, housing and human services — that shape their opportunities.” There are quote marks around the truism […]
It’s Time to Bring All the Players to the Table to Better-Address the Opioid Crisis
Bill Hazel is Senior Advisor for Strategic Initiatives and Policy at George Mason University in Virginia. He is the state’s former Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Stewards of Change Institute For as many decades as I’ve been a conscious adult – which is quite a […]
Government Should Not be a Vending Machine: The Role of Civic Tech
I recently attended the Community Information Exchange Summit, presented by 2–1–1 San Diego. Over 350 people from across North America gathered to discuss citizen-centric service delivery and bridging health and social services to build strong, thriving communities. At the center of the event was the story of 2–1–1 San Diego and its community information exchange […]
A Webinar in the NIC of Time – Insights from the Front Lines: What’s Working (and Not Working) in the Battle against Opioids
In virtually every state of our country, efforts are being mounted to combat the worst public health crisis in modern U.S. history; that is, the opioid epidemic. Some of these initiatives are still in their early stages, while others are relatively advanced and starting to see successes. Regardless of where they are in their development, […]
Data-Informed Investments + Cross-Sector Systems = Greater Savings and Better Health
As most Americans look forward to the bounty of Thanksgiving next week, too many children and families in our country face a problem they must deal with all year round: hunger. And while the pain associated with hunger in this country pulls at our heart and soul, it is also hitting us in the wallet. […]
Learning from 9/11: A New Approach to Fighting the Opioid Crisis
One of the major problems exposed by the tragedy on 9/11 was the inability of government agencies to reach across their silos to share critical information and to coordinate their efforts. To address that potential risk to U.S. national security, Congress voted to establish the Information Sharing Environment, the responsibility of which is to promote […]
Weathering the Storm: Interoperability’s Role in Shaping a Better Future
As I’m sure was the case for nearly everyone in our country and beyond, watching the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey provided a chilling reminder of how vulnerable we all can be to forces beyond our control. At the same time, seeing the concerted — and often heroic — efforts to help the people of […]