On November 15, BIF launched a new project with the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) which serves as the national health care advocacy organization for America’s medically underserved and uninsured and the community health centers that serve as their health care home.
Community health centers provide critical health services to vulnerable populations across the United States. One in fifteen Americans use the services of a community health center in both urban and rural areas. Today, community health centers serve 27 million Americans in over 10,000 communities.
As each community center is independent, NACHC provides critical services across the network – including research, training, and technical infrastructure. Increasingly, NACHC is recognizing the power of community health centers to drive innovation on many different fronts – from how they serve patients to how they influence national policy.
BIF is excited to partner with NACHC to explore the innovation opportunities. At a meeting of primary care and community health networks in New Orleans, BIF’s Chief Market Maker, Eli MacLaren facilitated a day-long design studio to define the first phase of work:
How might we shift our lens to uncover innovation opportunities that will transform how we serve patients? How might we collaboratively innovate, going farther together than we can go alone?
Following this meeting, BIF will launch an innovation exploration, using human-centered research to define the job that stakeholders need to be done, i.e. what do they value? What will enhance their work, while driving opportunities for innovation?
This work will be packaged into a set of customer insights and opportunity spaces for driving innovation at the local and national level. NACHC works in conjunction with state and regional primary care associations, health center controlled networks and other public and private sector organizations to expand health care access to all in need.