Nassau-Queens Performing Provider System Awards $595,000 to Seven Community-Based Organizations to Improve Connections to Healthcare Services

NEW YORK, July 12, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The Nassau-Queens Performing Provider System (NQP) – part of the New York State Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment (DSRIP) program—is providing a total of $595,000 to seven Community-Based Organizations (CBOs) in Nassau County and Queens to improve connections to healthcare services.
 
This is the second round of funding that NQP has provided. In 2017, NQP began distributing a total of $460,000 in contracts to 23 CBOs in Nassau County and Eastern Queens. This initial phase of contracting enabled the CBOs to conduct health-related forums in their neighborhoods, report on health care referrals, and participate in training related to New York State's shift to value-based payment.
 
Based on performance during the first phase, NQP chose the following seven agencies to receive an enhanced level of funding: First Jamaica Urban Community Development Corporation, Gateway Youth Outreach, Haitian American Family of Long Island, Long Island Coalition for the Homeless, Ocean Bay Community Development Corporation, Queens Library, and the Rockaway Waterfront Alliance. Each organization will hire additional staff, expand services, and focus on connecting the people they serve in healthcare.
 
In addition to their performance during the initial phase, the agencies were also chosen because they serve key NQP communities including Far Rockaway, Jamaica, Hempstead, Elmont, Uniondale, and Freeport. The NQP Community Needs Assessment had previously indicated that these neighborhoods had a high percentage of Medicaid recipients who tend to utilize hospital emergency services instead of seeking routine care in the community.
 
Robert Hettenbach, Executive Director of NQP, noted, "If a person with diabetes is also homeless their priority will be to access shelter and food; they will be less concerned about getting to routine medical appointments. Left unchecked, diabetes can have a serious negative impact on one's health." Hettenbach further explained, "It makes sense for healthcare systems to partner with CBO's to meet basic needs. Stable housing and a supply of nutritious food can provide the foundation that allows the client to then work on health issues such as diabetes."
 
John Javis, the Director of Behavioral Health for NQP indicated that the distribution of the funds helps to support the state's efforts to transition the healthcare community towards value-based payments (VBP). He said, "At the end of the DSRIP grant period, these seven agencies will each have a successful model. Having proved their value, they will be encouraged to contract with hospitals, health plans, and Independent Practice Associations (IPA's) in larger VBP arrangements."

About NQP  The Nassau Queens Performing Provider System (NQP) is one of 25 Performing Provider Systems in New York State participating in the New York State Department of Health's Delivery System Reforming Incentive Payment (DSRIP) Program. NQP is led by NuHealth/Nassau University Medical Center, in alliance with Northwell Health's Long Island Jewish Medical Center and Catholic Health Services of Long Island, and consists of more than 8,400 partner organizations that have come together to better serve the health needs of the community through the DSRIP program. Our goal is to redesign the way health care is delivered to people with Medicaid in our community by closing critical gaps in the continuum of care and reducing avoidable hospital use by 25% by 2020.

Contact: Matthew Hawley Policy Manager, NQP

Phone: (516) 572-6513

Email: mhawley@nqpps.org 
 

Related Files

CBO Phase 2 Press Release.pdf

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SOURCE Nassau-Queens Performing Provider System (NQP)