A recent study published in The Annals of Internal Medicine by lead author UC Berkeley School of Public Health Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management Amanda Brewster found that a social needs care management program aided in decline of patient hospitalization. Brewster and team examined whether the Community Connect program implemented by Contra Costa Heal Services is effective in reducing emergency hospital visits or hospital inpatient admissions. The study suggest that social program based intervention reduced emergency hospital visits by 4% and hospital inpatient admissions by 11%.
Response from participant case managers indicates that the program helps build trust towards the health care system by leaving the participants feeling more capable of navigating the healthcare landscape and better equipped to resolve basic social needs.