By Journal Staff

LANSING — The Office of Policy and Planning at the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has announced the formation of the Community Information Exchange task force. CIE builds the technology and relationships required to address the social needs like food, housing and education for people and their communities.

This task force will develop a statewide plan for CIE guided by the notion that data sharing between health care and social service providers is critical to improving comprehensive care and achieving health equity.

CIE stores information safely and provides referrals to social services to improve the health care of those in need. CIE also helps to coordinate health care services and connect individuals with resources across a variety of clinical and non-clinical partners and uses data collected about community resources and needs to drive policy change to promote more efficient and targeted distribution of resources and programming.

“MDHHS is convening the CIE task force as a critical step toward a more holistic approach to improving health and social needs in our state,” said Ninah Sasy, director of the Office of Policy and Planning, in a statement. “We recruited a task force with representation from consumers and social service providers to ensure that frontline perspective is integral in our plans for statewide CIE.”

The CIE task force brings together community-based organizations that provide services and resources to address housing instability, food insecurity and other needs with representatives of health care, health IT and government to make recommendations to MDHHS on the development of a model for statewide CIE.

“As our state’s health IT infrastructure continues to grow, it’s important that social service providers are able to adopt interoperable technology that helps us work with partners both in clinical settings and at other agencies,” said Janee Tyus, senior director, Genesee Community Health Access Program and task force member representing social service organizations serving communities facing health inequities, in a statement. “We know our clients are better off with a coordinated approach to care, but we often lack the resources and awareness of what it takes for the community buy in to adopt technologies comparable to our clinical counter parts. Through my involvement in the CIE task force I hope to center the challenges that community-based organizations face and help develop a plan that supports organizations and partners like mine in building capacity to participate in CIE across the state.”

Tyler LaPlaunt, a tribal council member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians, is a member of the CIE task force.