This program will allow the CSH community access to free or reduced-cost services
New Brunswick, NJ, (September 29, 2023) - Children’s Specialized Hospital’s (CSH) Center for Discovery, Innovation, and Development (CDID), an RWJBarnabas Health facility and part of the Children’s Health network at RWJBarnabas Health, has partnered with findhelp, to provide its patients, families, and staff with essential support resources. The newly developed CSHConnect platform is powered by findhelp and offers safe and confidential access to various free or reduced-cost services, including food, housing, work, health, transit, care, goods, education, and legal assistance.
“Health care delivery drives only 20 percent of health outcomes, with social determinants of health (SDOH) — including housing, living environment, employment status, and access to transportation and healthy food — playing a much bigger role in overall health. Through the SDOH program at CSH, we have learned that nearly 40% of our patients have SDOH needs. It was imperative that we build out a solution to address these needs. Our partnership with findhelp created CSHConnect which provides essential assistance to the communities we serve” – Michael Dribbon, Ph.D., Vice President of Business Development & Chief Innovation and Research Officer, Children’s Specialized Hospital.
The CSHConnect platform aims to support individuals by connecting them with relevant assistance programs. Users can customize their search by location and specific needs. Navigating the site is user-friendly and entering one's zip code brings up over 1,500 programs in their area including financial aid, food pantries, medical care, and other free or reduced-cost services. Findhelp currently supports over 42,000 zip codes and over 31,000,000 users.
CSHConnect will be available to all patients and their families by the end of September 2023. Further, CDID, in collaboration with findhelp, is leading the way for addressing the social needs of a health care organization’s staff by creating a platform exclusively available for CSH staff. It is estimated that over 20% of health care support workers nationally struggle with food insecurity alone. Through this platform, CSH is set to have a positive impact on the entire community.
“When developing a solution for CSH patients and families, we did not want to forget about the staff that have needs as well. These platforms, together, are set to have a profound impact on the community at large.” – Victoria Gregorio, Ph.D., Director for the Center for Discovery, Innovation, and Development.
“My family and I are so grateful to have a platform that we can easily access needed support and community resources in the area where we live. It is so helpful to have all of these resources available through one website.” - Melissa V., mother of a patient who receives services at CSH.
“We’re privileged to partner with Children’s Specialized Hospital to connect both their patients and staff to life-changing resources and community support,” says Rachel Lauderdale, VP of Customer and Community Success at findhelp. “As a parent, I know how difficult it can be at times to take care of your family, especially during medical challenges. We’re proud to be a reliable support system for families and individuals.”
CSHConnect is a meaningful step towards benefiting members of the CSH community and ensuring their vision of a world where all children can reach their full potential becomes a reality.
To visit the CSH patient and family CSHConnect website please visit https://cshconnect.com
About Children’s Specialized Hospital
Children’s Specialized Hospital, an RWJBarnabas Health facility, is the nation’s leading provider of inpatient and outpatient care for children and young adults from birth to 21 years of age facing special health care challenges – from chronic illnesses and complex physical disabilities like brain and spinal cord injuries to a full scope of developmental, behavioral, and mental health concerns. At 15 different New Jersey locations, our pediatric specialists partner with families to make our many innovative therapies and medical treatments more personalized and effective so each child can reach their full potential. For more information, visit rwjbh.org/childrensspecialized.
About RWJBarnabas Health Children’s Health Network
As New Jersey’s largest academic health system, RWJBarnabas Health is the state’s most comprehensive children’s health network offering an unmatched range of pediatric services, from primary care to specialized treatments and therapies. Our vast network of child-friendly facilities and pediatric specialists includes four acute care children’s hospitals across the state. Our team takes a multidisciplinary approach to each child’s unique health needs with a total of 692 pediatric inpatient beds across the system and 18 pediatric primary care locations going beyond clinical interventions addressing specific care needs at the appropriate developmental, physical, emotional, and psychological levels of each child. In partnership with Rutgers Health, RWJBarnabas Health Children’s Health network provides advanced research, teaching, social impact initiatives, and outstanding care to improve the health and well-being of every child in every community.
About the Center for Discovery, Innovation and Development (CDID)
The mission of CDID is to develop, innovate and discover solutions for the global advancement of the lives of children, adolescents, and young adults with special health needs and their families. CDID transforms health and health care through creating disruptive positive change by discovery, development, growth, and commercialization of innovative care, products, services, collaborations, and ideas. CDID aims to improve overall well-being and quality of life, embracing accelerated innovative principles and strategies that focus on the human experience to identify needs, and design solutions to meet them. To learn more, visit www.cdid.org
About Findhelp
Findhelp is the company modernizing America’s social safety net for anyone who needs help or helps others. With the largest network of community-based organizations and proprietary technology that intelligently matches people with the resources they need, findhelp is the fastest and most reliable way to get help with privacy and dignity. Findhelp is headquartered in Austin, Texas and has been enabling health care, government, education and other organizations to connect people with the social care resources that serve them since 2010. For more information, visit http://company.findhelp.com.
Contact: Megan Granozio
732-258-7042
MGranozio@childrens-specialized.org