Community Resource Navigation Program Expands
UWKV CEO Jessica Lehnherr greets the attendees at the Community Resource Navigation expansion announcement.
United Way of Kaw Valley (UWKV) and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas (BCBSKS) announced a new partnership in November that will expand community resource navigation services and help connect community members to resources to help them thrive and live healthy lives.
“We know that health is more than health care,” said Virginia Barnes, Director of Blue Health Initiatives with BCBSKS. “By increasing access to community resources through navigation, we can help ensure that Kansas communities build resilient networks to improve the health of Kansans who may not easily navigate the complex health and social systems on their own."
Through a Trailblazers grant from BCBSKS, UWKV will employ a program director and two Community Resource Navigators, one serving primarily Lawrence and the other serving Shawnee County. United Way will continue to fund a rural Community Resource Navigator in Douglas County, expanding that coverage to include Baldwin City and Lecompton as well as Eudora.
These positions will help people access a complex system of social service programs and serve as a key point of contact and source of support for community members in crisis. Navigators will help improve communication between clients and agencies, facilitate the often-complicated application process for receiving services, and provide help in a way that honors every client’s culture and lived experience.
UWKV's new Director of Community Resource Navigation, Heather Coates speaks at the program announcement.
United Way has already hired a Director of Community Resource Navigation, Heather Coates of Lawrence, and interviews are in progress for three Community Resource Navigators. Fundraising efforts may ultimately create even more navigator positions across UWKV's service area of Shawnee, Douglas, Jackson and Jefferson counties. Funds can come from individual donors, workplace campaigns or even corporate sponsorships once the need for a navigator position is identified.
“Expanding community health worker and navigator services is an intersecting strategy throughout our Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). United Way of Kaw Valley’s involvement in this work reflects a shared commitment to improving access to essential services like primary and prenatal care, behavioral health, childcare, food assistance and housing. Efforts to expand Douglas County’s community health work and navigation services not only help individuals navigate complex systems of care, but these efforts also foster collaboration among community partners. By implementing a coordinated network of support, we strengthen our collective ability to improve the health of our community.”
– Johnathan Smith, UWKV Board Member and Executive Director of Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health
UWKV CEO Jessica Lehnherr said she was proud that the groundwork for the program was laid in both the early navigation work in Douglas County and the closed-loop referral network effort in Shawnee County. “This feels like the synergy we knew was possible when we merged with United Way of Douglas County,” she said. “The time was absolutely right to build upon the years of collaboration that our Vice President of Community Impact, Brett Martin, had put in with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas.”
For more information about UWKV’s Community Resource Navigation program, please visit www.uwkawvalley.org/community-resource-navigation.
Clay Britton, Senior Vice President, General Counsel, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
Virginia Barnes, Director of Blue Health Initiatives, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas
Jessica Lehnherr, CEO of United Way of Kaw Valley
Brett Martin, Vice President of Community Impact, United Way of Kaw Valley