1115 Waiver Amendment

As long-time students and practitioners of human-centered design, we believe in staying agile and ready to iterate ideas based on feedback from real people. Because “solutions” don’t solve anything if they don’t work how real people work.

Each CBO with connected services in MyWayfinder receive free training and assistance with workflow development. Meeting people where they’re at doesn’t just apply to community members—we work hard to flex with the needs of each CBO, recognizing that they are subject-matter experts with distinct needs to best implement the shared system.

MyWayfinder features an optional check-in system that, when done anonymously, provides the user with results tailored to their needs and location. When done while creating an account, check-ins mark the user’s well-being status, and with each consecutive check-in that status is tracked over time to show the outcomes of service delivery interventions.

Work continues to design and test high level workflows that can be universally applied to each social care domain in MyWayfinder. Starting last year with food, housing, and transportation, and recently expanded to employment, financial management, and income, this pilot will result in baseline standards to help care team managers navigate their clients’ journeys towards true well-being across each HRSN.

We’ve developed definitions across each social care domain and across states of well-being, from “not okay,” to “okay,” to “good,” to “great,” and all the way to “excellent.” These definitions are essential to measuring outcomes and to demonstrate true change in people’s lives—the ultimate goal of this work.

MyWayfinder’s service directory is powered by 211/LIFE LINE’s community resource database, meaning users can access up-to-date information on local CBOs and send requests even if the service is not connected in MyWayfinder.

In response to community requests for local, in-person spaces to get help with navigation care, we contracted with 7 organizations to train them on MyWayfinder and support the staffing at locations across Monroe County.

A core tenant of TogetherNow’s work is the idea of “no wrong front doors,” that individuals should be introduced to holistic, person-centered care no matter where they go in search of assistance. Last year we began training staff at Community-Based Front Doors, places that may not offer direct service, or which may not have current capacity to come on as connected providers, but are places people already naturally go while in need. To date over 200 volunteers have been trained to use MyWayfinder and help people begin their journeys to better health and well-being.

Through surveys, workgroups, and attending events, our team centers the voices of community. We know that systems change cannot happen without adoption, and this must be earned, especially when so many are wary of new community initiatives. Our goal is person-centered care, so real people and their input will always be our guiding light.