Strengthening Community-Driven Safety-Net Interventions to Improve Health and Economic Equity

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This project proposes a Sustainable Health Investment Partnership (SHIP), a new employer- engaged upstream intervention program to reduce health disparities by increasing economic stability for underemployed and low wage workers through an aligned and integrated countywide safety-net program. Families earning 135-350% of federal poverty level often experience little to no gain in net income as wages increase due to loss of public benefits such as Medicaid and are constrained by numerous barriers to health and economic mobility. The SHIP will be designed by cross-sector community partners to support workers throughout the continuum from poverty to financial security by (1) aligning and expanding three local employer-based innovations: Access Health (health coverage and SDoH impact), Tri-Share Childcare (childcare), and Wheels to Work (transportation) 2) collaborating with place-based Impact Hubs that target minority and rural populations 3) providing individualized, trust-based upstream SDOH support, connecting vulnerable workers to public, private, and community resources to address self-prioritized health and employment needs. The SHIP will be structured as a wellness plan to allow the collection of longitudinal data related to workers’ health, social needs, employment metrics, income level, and benefits eligibility to help create a value proposition for expanding the safety net for low income families, Participatory research with employers and residents will help understand relevant assets, causal loops and economic variables to effectively target governmental and organizational policy changes within our clinical, safety-net, and employer sectors. This project will improve health and economic stability in low-income households and draw additional individuals into the local workforce.