Last week, hundreds of health, social, non-profit, 211, research, philanthropy, technology, education, and government thought-leaders from across the country attended the 4th annual Community Information Exchange Summit hosted by 211/CIE San Diego in partnership with Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH) and Health Leads.
The three-day conference centered on the theme, Leading with Community to Drive Systems Change, and explored how the community-led model of a Community Information Exchange can promote equity and inclusivity in health and social services.
“The Community Information Exchange (CIE) is transforming our system of care in San Diego and we hope our work here can be a model for innovation in communities across the country,” said William York, President & CEO of 211/CIE San Diego. “CIE has the power to connect diverse people, providers, and services, which is also the goal of the CIE Summit—to bring together thought leaders to share best practices and encourage collaboration. We are proud to lead the way through our initiatives here in San Diego and by hosting the CIE Summit, so communities across the country can collectively work toward this goal.”
“We see a lot of investments in technology to address the social determinants of health, but the truly impactful work honors local communities’ strengths and authentically engages and gives power to the voices of people who have been historically marginalized by systems of care,” said Camey Christenson, MSW, Chief Business Development Officer of 211/CIE San Diego. “The work toward health equity requires we listen to and leverage the unique assets of our communities. We must align investments in systems and services that not only solve for immediate challenges but also shift power to people with lived experience to drive meaningful and integrated health and social care systems.”
211/CIE San Diego is transforming the delivery of health and social services through the Community Information Exchange (CIE) platform, which enables a holistic and proactive approach to care that improves health outcomes for individuals and communities. Through CIE, providers can directly engage community members who use their services in the decision-making process when considering policy or funding changes.
“Gaining more insights through data sharing from collaborations and conversations across sectors is critical to understanding how our communities voice their needs,” said Anna Barnes, MPH, Program Director of Data Across Sectors for Health (DASH) and the Illinois Public Health Institute (IPHI). “The national CIE Summit is a valued center of ideas and information exchange to focus our attention and align our efforts for systems innovation promoting shared power and equity.”
DASH, a national initiative of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is collaboratively led by the Illinois Public Health Institute and the Michigan Public Health Institute.
“Community engagement and the call for systems change may not be new, but this year, the need to elevate how communities are leading to drive systems change is even more palpable,” said Sheena Nahm McKinlay, Ph.D., MPH, VP of Research & Development of Health Leads. “The CIE Summit is a space where we can share what people are doing at present and how they can mobilize for the future.”
Health Leads is an innovation hub that seeks to unearth and address the deep societal roots of racial inequity that impact our health.
Recordings of the event are available upon request.