Progress

Buffalo's wellconnected using tech to turn pharmacies into a front line for social care

wellconnected's vision for a social care industry that uses data to build regional bridges has now pushed into four U.S. states.

Via wellconnected...

When wellconnected talks about using software to improve the lives of community members who need help, this is what we mean.

A pilot project led by the University at Buffalo School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences is demonstrating how community-based pharmacies can play a meaningful role in connecting people to social care.

Using the wellconnected 'allco' platform, participating pharmacies screened nearly 300 community members during the program's first several months and generated more than 80 closed-loop referrals to nonprofit organizations and social service providers.

Those referrals address challenges such as food insecurity, housing instability, transportation barriers and other social determinants of health that can significantly affect quality of life.

“Because community pharmacies are deeply embedded in local neighborhoods, they capture vulnerable individuals who may not regularly see a primary care doctor, injecting vital social data into the broader WNY healthcare ecosystem,” said Steven Butzler, wellconnected’s community engagement lead.

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