Public Health Solutions Partners with Unite Us to Increase Access to Food and Nutrition Services

Press Release

Public Health Solutions Partners with Community Care Coordination Tech, Unite Us, to Increase Access to Food and Nutrition Services in the Bronx

New York, NY – Public Health Solutions (PHS), the largest public health nonprofit serving New York City, and Unite Us, the leading care-coordination and outcome-tracking software, announced a partnership that will support PHS’ Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) Bundle, a tool and gateway to comprehensive, community-based food and nutrition services in the Bronx.

PHS’ FNS Bundle, funded by OneCity Health’s Innovation Award Program, attempts to remedy the challenge of fragmentation between clinical and community-based organizations by establishing a coordinated screening and referral system powered by the Unite Us platform.

The technological infrastructure provided through Unite Us will connect PHS and its partners (Bronxworks, The Food Bank of New York City, God’s Love We Deliver, Healthfirst, NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi, and Lincoln) and allow them to work together in real-time to support the complex needs of local individuals and families. The coordinated screening system will streamline the process for helping food-insecure patients enroll in SNAP, WIC, Medically Tailored Meals, congregate meals and soup kitchens, and access to food pantries. Through Unite Us, PHS and its partners can screen patients for food insecurity and nutritional risk, send referrals to address identified needs, and track outcomes and data around service delivery to evaluate the effectiveness of the program.

“PHS is excited and eager to continue to innovate our efforts to address food insecurity in New York City,” says Zachariah Hennessey, Vice President of Neighborhood Health at PHS. “We have made great strides in establishing partnerships across the city to build a strong network of providers and partners.  Now with the Unite Us technology, we are able to establish a new model of care that reaches beyond the four walls of our organizations to connect the dots for the individuals and families we serve.”

“Addressing food insecurity in New York City and across the country is a critical component of improving community health,” says Molly Blumgart, Community Engagement Manager at Unite Us. “The challenge that New Yorkers face is not necessarily a lack of resources that address food insecurity, but rather a barrier to accessing care because of service fragmentation. We are proud to partner with PHS to find an innovative solution to this challenge.”

About PHS:

Public Health Solutions (PHS) is the largest public health nonprofit serving New York City. For over 60 years, PHS has improved health outcomes and helped families thrive by providing services directly to the city’s most vulnerable populations, publishing independent research that moves public health policy and practice forward, and supporting over 200 community-based organizations through our long-standing government partnerships. We are a leader in addressing crucial public health issues, including food and nutrition, health insurance access, maternal and child health, reproductive health, tobacco control, and HIV/AIDS prevention. PHS has a strong focus on health equity to ensure NYC families have the basics for a healthier life. For more information, visit healthsolutions.org.

For more information about Unite Us, you can contact us here.