Health Divided

By Sue Cullen | Illustration by Darcy Kelly-Laviolette

The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services  Center is one of two nonprofits nationwide taking the lead in a study assessing nonprofits’ role in healthcare and their capacity to meet community needs.

“Sarasota is a tale of two cities. We have über wealthy residents who live here for its beauty,” said Kameron Hodgens, Ph.D., Executive Director of The Glasser/Schoenbaum Human Services Center. “We also have 51 percent of our public-school children on the free and reduced lunch program, a chronically homeless population and a dearth of affordable housing. I believe this study will be really good for Sarasota.”

The two-year study aims to answer two questions: what resources and services do the nonprofit sector provide to changing health systems and what is the impact on the nonprofit sector as health systems’ dependence on their services increase? This community “carrying capacity” defines the ability to provide those services. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the nation’s largest philanthropic organization focused on community health outcomes, is funding the study, which is being conducted by the University of Colorado-Denver’s Center on Network Science and The Nonprofit Centers Network. Denton, Texas, is the other community participating in the study whose results should be ready to announce next summer.

“No one is measuring nonprofits’ capacity to support those who are discharged from traditional healthcare settings. What would we do without the nonprofit follow-up care? People know it is important, but it can be hard to quantify,” Hodgens said. “I have an academic background, so I appreciate high-level research. Quality data backed by such a reputable organization is powerful and can lead to community change for the greater good.”

The data will demonstrate­—in graphic form— the flow of referrals to organizations and the connectivity among them. With that data, services can be delivered equitably across all populations and strategies can be developed to help nonprofits meet an increasing need for services. “The study will show which connections are overburdened or underutilized,” Hodgens said. “In an ideal world, this data could be used with funders, both public and private, to advocate for where funding needs to be focused. I would like to see this study be a neutral, data-driven showcase of where human services need help and support. Funders love data and having the legitimacy of this national team is critical. The larger foundations here are spearheading the practice of using research to pull together collaborative partnerships. That truly makes systemic change happen.”

Current regional stressors on carrying capacity are the lack of affordable housing and the fallout from the opioid crisis. Both Sarasota and the city of Denton are struggling with those issues along with Asset Limited Income Constrained Employed (ALICE) families–also known as the working poor. This means needing to have resources in place that include aiding addicted babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and understanding how the opioid crisis impacts family systems.

For Glasser/Schoenbaum, it has meant having local luxury resorts reach out for assistance in helping employees who are struggling to locate affordable housing while maintaining jobs in the hospitality industry. The Center has also helped Sarasota Memorial’s staff with information regarding local social services, such as those for domestic violence, food insecurity and opioid abuse, she said. And while healthcare organizations make referrals, they currently have no way of knowing whether the nonprofits they are referring to have the capacity to provide the needed service to their patients.

“We are always looking for solid connections between funders, the nonprofits and the health of the community,” Hodgens said. “In other words, what are the next initiatives and how are we collaborating to make those happen?” Some 20 local healthcare and nonprofit organizations have partnered with Glasser/Schoenbaum by participating in a written survey and face-to-face interviews with study researchers.

Those organizations include Sarasota Memorial Healthcare System, Florida Department of Health in Sarasota County, Department of Children and Families, Centerstone of Florida, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, The Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, Friendship Centers, CASL Community Living, The Florida Center, Harvest House, Salvation Army, More Too Life, Coastal Behavioral Healthcare, First Step, Healthy Start Coalition, Epilepsy Services of Southwest Florida, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, The Barancik Foundation, and Sarasota County schools.

“It’s amazing to work in a community that not only talks about collaboration, but actually does it. Our objective is high-quality data that shows our capacity needs for human services. It is all about directing support that provides resources to help people,” Hodgens said. “I know the study’s results will be enlightening.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION
on Glasser-Schoenbaum Human Services Center, visit gs-humanservices.org/.