September 26, 2017: Knowledge and Policy Lab Publication

CREATING A SOCIAL INNOVATIONS MOVEMENT WITHIN THE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SYSTEM: THE BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA STORY

“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”. American Public Health and Human Services Association, November 2016.

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 Fall 2017 edition of the Social Innovations Journal examines 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.