Puzzle pieces

The Power of Community Collaboration for Referral Coordination

The Power of Community Collaboration for Referral Coordination

Event

Date

April 13-16, 2024

Event

Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) 2024 Conference

This poster on the Kane County referral network’s cross-system collaboration was presented at the Association of Maternal & Child Health Programs (AMCHP) conference April 13-16, 2024.

Abstract

The Kane County IRIS network has generated and maintained a robust and efficient network of community partners who provide support to young children and their families in this Illinois community by leveraging deidentified data collected through IRIS. By emphasizing cross-system collaboration, their partnerships focus on providing innovative support and preventative measures to impacted families through successful engagement and collaboration. In doing so, they have fostered a coordinated network of partners who remain accountable to the vision of connecting all families to needed services.

Poster titled The Power of Community Collaboration for Referral Coordination: A Case Study. Created by Kim Peterson, MS, MA and Mary Orem, BA, for IRIS. The poster describes how Kane County Health Department built a collaborative referral network to connect families with community services. The layout has five main sections arranged in a circular flow with numbered steps and color-coded dots connected by lines to represent network collaboration: Assess Community Readiness and Prepare – outlines assessing community needs, assembling a willing team, identifying a lead organization, and engaging partners. Develop a Collective Vision – emphasizes shared purpose and universal goals for improving service coordination. Collaborate with Community Partners – details mapping partners, defining processes, and creating consistent referral workflows. Determine Organization-level Processes – highlights responsiveness, workflow design, and making necessary changes. Measure Shared Success – focuses on continuous evaluation, reviewing community data, and refining approaches. On the right, a purple box explains why a collaborative referral network is important, noting the challenges of siloed systems and the benefits of coordinated access to medical, social, and behavioral services. At the bottom right, a Kane County Community Data section shows circular charts for 2021–2023 indicating growth in families served, referrals, and partners (e.g., 3,807 families, 6,263 referrals, 187 partners). Logos and icons at the bottom represent sectors such as healthcare, education, prenatal care, senior care, and family support. The IRIS logo, a stylized plant inside a circle, appears in the lower left corner. The design uses a purple and green color palette with geometric network imagery centered around a heart symbol.