Vitalyst’s health care integration work supported the integration of health and social-related needs, including housing, health insurance enrollment, and workforce development by collaborating with state agencies and local partners.

Community Cares Closed Loop Referral System

Vitalyst provided ongoing support for the Community Cares statewide closed-loop referral system. Knowing community organization enrollment had not met expectations, Vitalyst worked with Contexture, which administers Community Cares, to host a stakeholder meeting with housing providers to learn how all involved can streamline processes. An additional meeting was conducted with Community Cares and regional Continuum of Care (CoC) housing leads to exploring integration between the Community Cares platform and the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS).

The Cover Arizona Coalition

As part of the Cover Arizona Coalition, Vitalyst worked with partners to inform Arizonans about their healthcare coverage options, especially as AHCCCS verified eligibility, causing more than 600,000 people to lose their Medicaid coverage.  The Coalition hosted enrollment events across the state and worked on digital marketing efforts to increase awareness of the personal assistance Arizonans can receive via the Cover Arizona Connector. These initiatives contributed to a notable increase in Marketplace enrollment for 2024, with 325,503 enrolling in healthcare coverage through the Healthcare Marketplace. In March 2024, the KidsCare income limit was increased to include more Arizona youth, and the Cover Arizona Coalition used its resources to raise awareness through phone banks and community events.

Child Wellbeing

Vitalyst supported Children’s Action Alliance (CAA) in its advocacy for increased health insurance enrollment, coverage, and access to school-based behavioral health services. With support from Vitalyst, CAA convened stakeholder groups and developed recommendations for AHCCCS to expand Open Cares. We also supported the Arizona Adverse Childhood Experiences (AZ ACEs) Consortium’s initiative to promote Trauma Sensitive and Resilient Schools. Additionally, we supported AZ ACEs staff implementing Trauma-Informed Organization Certification Training for school staff.

Advocacy, Capacity Building, Community Engagement

Vitalyst’s advocacy and community engagement efforts included serving on several key workgroups and committees such as the Arizona Department of Health Services’ (ADHS) Arizona Health Improvement Plan (AZHIP) Steering Committee, chaired by Vitalyst’s Director of State Health Policy and Advocacy, Ana Roscetti, and the Rural and Underserved and Social Determinants of Health workgroups. We actively engaged with stakeholders including AHCCCS, ADHS, DES, Maricopa County Public Health Department, and the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce. Vitalyst also participated in ADHS’ Maternal Health Task Force to develop strategies addressing maternal mortality and morbidity in Arizona.

Our work will continue to advocate for more Arizonans to receive the healthcare coverage they need and ensure their health needs beyond medical health.