Social Care Coordination Platform, Unite Us, Partners with Kaiser Permanente to Launch Thrive Local

On Monday, May 6th, Kaiser Permanente announced the launch of Thrive Local, the most comprehensive and far-reaching social health network of its kind. Thrive Local will connect a curated network of local social services organizations with Kaiser Permanente’s health care providers through Unite Us’ social care coordination platform.

Thrive Local will systematically address the social factors that impact the overall health and wellbeing of individuals and communities across the country. These social factors include housing, transportation, food, utilities and more. Over the past six years, Unite Us has worked closely with communities across the country to build strong connections between medical and social care providers. The organization’s approach to building social health networks has now become a standard for communities across the country. This partnership with Kaiser Permanente will scale the model and make it available to the 68 million individuals living in communities served by Kaiser Permanente.

“In order to deliver person-centered health care, the care delivery model must include both medical and social care. With Thrive Local, Kaiser Permanente is showing it is imperative to address the most pressing social needs to improve health outcomes across the country,” says Dan Brillman, CEO of Unite Us. “This social health network is a powerful commitment to the community that enables local social care organizations to innovate and collaboratively serve their community.”

Regional implementation of Thrive Local will start this summer with plans to expand coverage to all of Kaiser Permanente’s 12.3 million members as well as the 68 million individuals living in the communities that Kaiser Permanente serves. On-the-ground implementation will be a collaborative effort between Unite Us’ team of community engagement experts and Kaiser Permanente’s regional leads. Together, they will work closely with local partners and community-based organizations to launch Thrive Local.

“The future of health is dependent on comprehensive and integrated social care,” says Taylor Justice, President of Unite Us. “With the announcement of Thrive Local, Kaiser Permanente continues to demonstrate their national leadership in delivering true value-based care. The focus on social determinants of health is critical to building opportunities for every member of our communities to lead healthy lives.”