Molina Healthcare Community Connectors

Molina Healthcare serves Medicaid, Medicare, CHIP, Marketplace, and dual-eligible plans in multiple states. In 2004, Molina Healthcare began leveraging community health care workers known as Community Connectors to engage and empower Molina members to achieve better health outcomes. By partnering with state Medicaid organizations and other community partners, Community Connectors serve as liaisons between patients and clinicians, assessing needs and assisting the treatment team with coordinating members’ care. They coach members to self-manage their chronic conditions, connect them to basic community resources (e.g., food, shelter and safety) and more traditional health-related social services, and advocate on their behalf. Community Connectors are familiar with the community and the available resources that can help members improve their health. In New Mexico, the program has demonstrated a savings of $4,564 per enrollee through reduced emergency department use, days of inpatient care, and substance abuse. The program is funded by Molina Healthcare. To read more about this innovative program, see this brief summary [link].