The publicly funded health care delivery system in New York State has been rapidly transforming. As part of the next stages of the NYS Delivery System Reform Incentive Payments (DSRIP) Program, the NYS Department of Health (DOH) Community Based Organization (CBO) Planning Grant for Rest of State has been underway. Healthy Community Alliance, Inc. was awarded the $2.5 million NYS DOH planning grant for rest-of-state which provides funding to educate and assist community-based health and human service organizations with implementing results-focused business practices, so they are better positioned to engage in new revenue models that pay for the critical work they do to improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers. Through the grant, the newly formed CBO Consortium of Upstate New York is assessing the needs of CBO members and working as a collective to prepare nonprofit organizations that address critical health and human services to be valued partners in an integrated healthcare delivery system. CCSI staff met with Ann Battaglia, Chief Executive Officer of Healthy Community Alliance, to learn more about how the Consortium supports their members.
What is CBO Consortium of Upstate New York?
We started CBO Consortium of Upstate New York last year to work with CBOs in this new healthcare environment and help them advance health equity and achieve better population health outcomes in their communities. We’ve built a consortium across 48 upstate counties in New York, made up of nearly 250 CBOs that address social and economic factors which impact health. Many of these CBOs have smaller budgets and do not yet have payment agreements with Medicaid for their services. An affiliate membership level is also offered for larger CBOs and other partners.