ProgenyHealth & Health Equity

Diving Deep: Understanding ProgenyHealth's Role in Championing Health Equity

Read Length: 6 Minutes

For years, health equity has appeared to be almost paradoxical. Policymakers and healthcare leaders understand its importance and what is needed to truly achieve it. Despite the best efforts of stakeholders, we are miles away from closing the gap on true equity. ?

Improving health equity is a complex endeavor that requires a multifaceted approach, dependent on a vast network of stakeholders, targeted programs, and the right timing. At ProgenyHealth, our mission is to transform maternal and infant health outcomes by dismantling barriers faced by families.??

Through advocacy and conversations on Capitol Hill, regional collaboration with health plan partners, and member empowerment, we are constantly refining our approach to deliver a more equitable maternal and infant health journey. Our initiatives integrate various health plan benefits such as housing assistance, access to healthy food, and behavioral health services. Additionally, our dedicated team members engage proactively in addressing issues throughout pregnancy, a possible NICU admission, and postpartum care, striving for tangible improvements in health equity.?

Our Role in Advancing Health Equity??

• Promoting Equitable Access and Respecting Community Diversity: Ensuring access to consistent, quality healthcare and social services (e.g., education, transportation, housing, childcare). Our case managers prioritize this in every member interaction, addressing specific social determinants of health to eliminate access barriers.?

• Partnering with Trusted Messengers: Collaborating with community health workers and trusted messengers to disseminate clear and accurate information tailored to diverse languages, literacy levels, and cultures. We ensure all resources and literature used are from validated, evidence-based sources.?

• Emphasizing Cultural Competency: Training all employees to recognize and combat all forms of discrimination, including implicit bias. Culture training is mandatory across all levels at ProgenyHealth, supplemented by additional education for frontline teams.?

Our Team Members Act??

• Ensuring Caregiver Access:?Providing caregivers with adequate transportation support to visit infants in the NICU and attend follow-up appointments.?Linking caregivers with local providers and specialists to minimize transportation burdens.??
• Language and Cultural Accessibility:?Ensuring caregivers have access to providers who speak their language or utilizing language line services.?Providing education and resources to overcome language barriers in accessing care.?

• Addressing Bias and Discrimination Concerns:?Assessing whether members have experienced discrimination during provider appointments.??Helping in identifying alternative providers and facilitating contact with health plan member services or guiding them through the complaint process for resolution if discrimination occurs.??

• Insurance Enrollment Support:?Assisting caregivers in timely enrollment of their infants in health plans, particularly focusing on immigrant and non-English speaking members to ensure access to care and help them find in-network providers.?

• Connecting to Additional Resources:?Connecting caregivers with state resources such as waivers and SSI to enhance access to care.?Addressing other social determinants of health (SDoH) such as behavioral health to further support care access and well-being.?

Success Stories??

During a recent ProgenyHealth Clinical Care huddle, our team shared a success story involving transportation challenges.? A Spanish-speaking member informed the Clinical Care team that she might miss her postpartum appointment due to a transportation issue. Despite attempting to use her plan's transportation resources, she faced challenges due to a language barrier. The Clinical Care team promptly assisted by calling the transportation service together with the member. They successfully arranged transportation for her to attend the appointment as scheduled.?

In another case, our Clinical Care team successfully managed a behavioral health issue facing a member.?

Mental Health is often stigmatized in Hispanic and Latino communities. Recently, our Case Management team encountered a situation highlighting this issue. A Case Manager was assisting a member who disclosed that her family lacked support and was not assisting her in accessing local behavioral health services. The member expressed significant postpartum depression symptoms and sought help. The Case Manager facilitated a call with the member to the plan's Behavioral Health resources, successfully arranging telephonic intervention for her.?

In our relentless pursuit of health equity, ProgenyHealth remains committed to breaking down barriers and championing transformative solutions. By integrating social determinants of health into our comprehensive care approach, we empower families to navigate complex healthcare landscapes with dignity and support. Through advocacy, collaboration, and cultural competence, we strive to ensure every member receives equitable access to the care they deserve. As we continue to share success stories and drive meaningful change, we invite you to join us in advancing maternal and infant health outcomes for all communities. Together, we can move closer to a future where health equity is not just a goal, but a reality for every family we serve.?

News We Are Making??

ProgenyHealth has expanded its partnership with the women’s health solutions company Wildflower Health .

#ICYMI??

Mary Villa, MS, RD (pictured below) and Josh Vierling dove into presentations and discussions centered on health equity, artificial intelligence, and digital health at AHIP in Las Vegas last month!??

Before You Go

Visit ProgenyHealth.com to learn how we can change the maternal and infant health narrative and subscribe to our newsletter today. ?