It was twenty-five years ago on October 8, 1997, that the Partners in Care Foundation began its extraordinary work. At that time, an exceptional group of individuals coalesced around a shared vision of what was needed to meet the social care needs of the frail, the chronically ill, the disadvantaged, and the elderly. Even at that early time, we were building out and implementing the concepts that would come to be known today as the social determinants of health – SDOH.
Through the intervening years Partners has continued to serve as a thought leader exploring and developing those innovative approaches that can impact the social determinants of health in real life. We continue focused on changing the shape of healthcare by defining, then demonstrating the value of social care in furthering the healing process, thus enabling people to maintain their independence and remain at home. Partners has been recognized as “visionary” for our development of innovative and powerful models of social care coordination. Just as critically, we have translated those visions – those bold and innovative approaches to care – into real care systems that provide evidence-based and effective services to thousands of people every year.
During our history, Partners has worked to align social care and health care to improve the lives of people with complex health needs. In that time, we have seen our care models adopted both in California and nationally. Partners serves as co-chair and founding member of the Partnership to Align Social Care, a vital national think tank that is redefining the relationships between community-based organizations like ours, health systems, physicians, and health insurance plans. Its goal is to codesign how social care and health care work together in a synergistic manner to improve the health outcomes and well-being of people with complex healthcare needs.
This strategic alignment of health care and social care is already taking shape here in California. Under the state’s recent Medicaid redesign, known as CalAIM, we are starting to witness the earliest evidence of its improvements in health and wellness for the highly vulnerable, medically complex people we serve. As CalAIM creates the mechanisms to address individual social drivers of health, we are seeing results and the healthcare industry – both here in California and across the country – has taken notice!
Yet, there is more to do. We see real possibility for meaningful change to improve people’s health, social circumstances, and lives. Whether an employee, a volunteer, a Board member, a Councilor, a Donor, or a professional colleague, you each have a role to play in realizing this vision.
Working together we keep these innovations advancing so that we can ensure the opportunity for everyone, regardless of life circumstance, to live with dignity and optimal health in a home of their choosing!
Over the next 12 months we will be periodically sharing snippets of our history and remembering those many special people who helped found, steer, and shape this agency. It will be a time for celebrating twenty-five years of extraordinary and powerful service to our communities. And of course, looking forward to the promise of an equally impactful twenty-five years to come.
With deep affection and regard,
June Simmons
Founding President and CEO
Partners in Care Foundation
