The St. Louis Integrated Health Network has been a mainstay in the St. Louis healthcare sector for over 20 years, bringing together critical provider organizations in the healthcare safety net. Over the past decade, we’ve seen healthcare providers increasingly identify and address the social needs of the communities they serve. In today’s uncertain funding and policy landscape, there’s a greater need than ever to advance these partnerships for the sake of our region.
The Opportunity in a Changing Landscape
Research indicates that up to 80% of health outcomes are influenced by non-clinical factors. In response, the healthcare industry is finding creative ways to use healthcare dollars to address social needs, especially as financial incentives shift. New flexibilities from regulators and private sector actors allow healthcare entities to pay for social services, presenting a real opportunity for community-based organizations.
However, a mismatch in scale and sophistication often prevents large health insurance companies from connecting with and funding local, grassroots service providers. The task at hand is to “matchmake” between healthcare entities looking to invest in social services and the local providers who already offer them.
Our Solution: The Community Care Hub
This is where our efforts to develop a community care hub (CCH) come in. The St. Louis Integrated Health Network can leverage our longstanding work as an intermediary to connect hospital systems, FQHCs, health departments, academic medical centers, and the community. After participating in the US Aging Community Care Hub National Learning Community in 2025 and receiving seed funding, we are excited to officially join the 70 national communities and counting in launching a community care hub.
How the CCH Works
The work of the CCH focuses on building the relationships and infrastructure needed for successful partnerships. Our goal is to create a “match” where a healthcare organization can easily contract with local providers who are fully prepared to deliver the required services.
A Win-Win for Our Community
The CCH can offer a valuable new revenue stream that recognizes the importance of your work. This provides complementary funding to historic grants while reducing the administrative burden of navigating these complex partnerships on your own.
The CCH gives you the opportunity to “buy local” and partner with trusted providers who are known to the community, culturally competent, and vetted. This increases the likelihood of uptake for the services being delivered and enables closure of care and quality gaps.
- Managed Care Plans: Increase the uptake of supplemental benefit offerings, improve member retention by including critical services from trusted providers, and drive down healthcare costs and utilization through delivery of services.
- Hospital Systems: Provide critical social services to your patients without having to build and manage a network of providers yourself. The CCH handles the network development, service pricing, and more.
Get Involved
We are early in this journey and invite you to join us. Here are a few ways you can stay involved and help us build a more integrated network of care in St. Louis.
For Service Providers
Please stay tuned for an upcoming survey to gather information that will inform future opportunities. We also invite you to connect with our team at upcoming community events.
For Healthcare Organizations
Ready to explore partnership opportunities? Reach out to us to schedule a conversation about how the CCH can help address your pain points and achieve your goals.
Questions?
Bill Winfrey
Community Care Hub Leadbwinfrey@stlouisihn.orgFor more information about the Community Care Hub and partnership opportunities, please contact Bill.