Issue 39 | Creating a Social Innovations Movement Within the Health and Human Services System: The Bucks County, Pennsylvania Story

Dear Readers,

Health and human services agencies along with their nonprofit and community partners in counties around the country have started to approach traditional long-standing societal challenges differently. They are capitalizing on public/private partnerships; breakthrough technologies; brokering unique cross-sector partnerships; blending funding sources, and applying family-centered and community-based approaches to find innovative solutions with the expectation that these will lead to efficiencies and better client outcomes. Ultimately, regional health and human services agencies, collectively, are shaping a new ecosystem across sectors and systems that will align services, integrate data systems, leverage technologies, and create system transformation. The American Public Health and Human Services Association said it best, “Health and human serving system leaders are discarding the old ways of doing business in favor of new approaches that are innovative, efficient, effective, and responsive to the needs and demands of a dynamic and rapidly changing society. We are shifting from a reactive and crisis-oriented services delivery model to one that focuses “upstream” and better enables all of us to live to our full potential and to more effectively identify and address root causes when we do encounter roadblocks along the way.”

The Social Innovations Journal in partnership with Bucks County Human Services, Woods Services, and Magellan Health Services is pleased to host the Fall 2017 edition and symposium that will examine successful and innovative models and partnerships within the Bucks County, PA Region as an example of how health and human services organizations are innovating across the country. This edition specifically explores new innovative models of care for Aging Populations; Mental and Behavioral Health; Children and Youth; Drug and Alcohol; and Physical and Developmental Disabilities. As you review the articles in this edition you will see tremendous steps towards engaging public/private partnerships that better serve the community for such key issues as the opioid epidemic (BCARES and BPAIR) and protecting our citizens (Ben’s Campaign and Crimes against older adults).  You will find how we are working with our Medicaid Managed Care Organization to be more data informed and outcomes oriented (Value Based Purchasing). You will also see stories on innovation and our team oriented model of practice through our internal Criminal Justice Advisory Board/Behavioral Health joint efforts (Mobile Crisis Engagement).  

We hope this edition will inform and inspire health and human services organizations as the potential of good ideas to inspire more good ideas cannot be underestimated.  

Sincerely,

Nicholas Torres
CEO/Publisher

Tine Hansen-Turton
Publisher
President & CEO of Woods Services 

Jonathan Rubin
Human Services Director
Buck's County 

Issue 39