What is Healthcare Navigation?
At HERS, LLC, we believe that healthcare should be centered around patients. Our mission is to provide quality healthcare and outcomes for patients and providers through a patient-centered approach.
We combine healthcare navigation, education, patient advocacy, and resource development to help improve the management of chronic diseases, identify true social determinants of health, and support individuals, families, communities, and providers with symptom-driven disease diagnosis and treatment.
HERS, LLC is committed to addressing the unique needs of patients, particularly those from marginalized communities, who often face disparities in healthcare access and outcomes. Our patient-centered approach is rooted in empathy, compassion, and cultural sensitivity, recognizing that each patient is an individual with their own unique healthcare journey. We prioritize understanding the physical, emotional, and social aspects of a patient's health to provide holistic care that goes beyond just addressing the symptoms of a disease.
Healthcare Navigation: Empowering Patients to Overcome Barriers to Care
One of the key pillars of our approach is healthcare navigation. Our trained Healthcare Navigators work closely with patients to assess their needs through open-ended conversations that build rapport and trust. As a part of the patient-centered approach, the Health Care Navigator conducts a comprehensive assessment of the client/patient's identified needs through open-ended questions that prompt meaningful conversations between the client/patient and the Health Care Navigator. This allows for the development of a personalized plan of care that addresses barriers related to medical health care, mental health, and social determinants of health. Our Healthcare Navigators then collaborate and coordinate with healthcare and service providers to ensure efficient and effective care that meets the unique needs of each patient.
The Role of Healthcare Navigators
Our Healthcare Navigators play a vital role in bridging the gap between patients and healthcare services. They act as liaisons between providers to ensure that patients have access to care and strategic system management. They also develop relationships with community partners and initiate communication between providers to facilitate dialogues focused on the patient's identified needs. Our Healthcare Navigators identify barriers related to medication, finances, insurance, and education, and participate in advocacy roles for patients, working with networking partners to provide educational programs that increase skills and enhance knowledge of the ever-changing social systems of healthcare.
Understanding Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health (SDOH) have a major impact on people's health, well-being, and quality of life. These non-medical factors can influence an individual's access to healthcare, ability to sustain healthcare, and ultimately impact their health outcomes. Some common examples of social determinants of health include:
Race: Racial disparities and discrimination can impact access to healthcare, health outcomes, and quality of care.
Racism: Systemic racism and discrimination can contribute to health disparities and inequities, particularly for marginalized populations.
Gender: Gender identity and gender-related factors can affect health outcomes, as certain populations may face unique challenges and barriers to healthcare access.
Income: Socioeconomic status and income level can impact access to healthcare, housing, education, and other resources that influence health outcomes.
Education: Education level and literacy can impact an individual's ability to understand and navigate the healthcare system, make informed health decisions, and access appropriate care.
Unemployment and inability to work: Employment status can influence access to healthcare and other resources that affect health and well-being.
Lack of insurance or inadequate insurance coverage: Limited or no access to affordable health insurance can impact an individual's ability to access necessary healthcare services.
Lack of food: Food insecurity and inadequate nutrition can contribute to poor health outcomes and chronic health conditions.
Neighborhood and communities: Social and environmental factors in a person's neighborhood or community, such as availability of safe housing, transportation options, and community resources, can impact health outcomes.
Housing: Housing quality, stability, affordability, and safety can all affect health and well-being.
Transportation: Access to reliable transportation can impact an individual's ability to access healthcare services and other resources that influence health.
Awareness and knowledge of social support networks, resources, and services: Limited awareness or knowledge of available social support networks, resources, and services can impact an individual's ability to access needed support for their health and well-being.
Addressing social determinants of health is important in achieving health equity and improving overall health outcomes for individuals and communities. Healthcare navigators play a vital role in identifying these social determinants of health, coordinating services and resources, and advocating for patients to ensure their needs are addressed in a patient-centered and holistic manner.
HERS, LLC's Approach to Social Determinants of Health
As part of our patient-centered approach, HERS, LLC takes a comprehensive approach to addressing social determinants of health. Our Healthcare Navigators work closely with patients to identify and address these barriers through collaboration and coordination with healthcare and service providers. We strive to understand the unique challenges faced by patients, particularly those from marginalized communities, and work towards overcoming these barriers to improve healthcare access and outcomes. We believe that addressing social determinants of health is crucial to providing holistic and effective care that truly meets the needs of our patients.
Conclusion
HERS, LLC is dedicated to providing patient-centered healthcare that addresses the unique needs of patients, particularly those from marginalized communities. Our approach, which combines healthcare navigation, education, patient advocacy, and resource development, aims to improve the management of chronic diseases, identify social determinants of health, and support patients, families, communities, and providers in achieving better healthcare outcomes. We are committed to empowering patients and overcoming barriers to care through our patient-centered approach, and our healthcare navigation services.
If you or a family member are in need of healthcare navigation support, please completed our New Client Request form on this page here: https://www.hersnc.org/individuals
If you are a healthcare provider looking to train your staff on healthcare navigation services, or are looking to hire HERS, LLC to consult on policies, or program implementation, please complete our New Provider Request Form on this page here: https://www.hersnc.org/providers
