Immediate Release

ChristianaCare Contact:
Megan McGuriman
215-264-0583
megan.n.mcguriman@christianacare.org

United Way of Delaware Contact:
Sue St. Laurent
302-981-5849
sstlaurent@nupointmarketing.com


ChristianaCare

Delaware 211 Joins Unite Delaware Platform to Expand Resources to Meet Social Care Needs in Delaware

(WILMINGTON, DE. – July 19, 2021)

In collaboration with United Way of Delaware and ChristianaCare, Delaware 211 is now part of Unite Delaware, to offer Delawareans a more robust suite of community-based social service providers statewide.

Through Unite Delaware, once a care provider identifies a person’s social service needs, the care provider sends a secure electronic referral to the most appropriate social service provider in the Unite Delaware network. In addition, once a referral is accepted on the Unite Delaware platform, partners involved in that person’s care will be informed about whether an individual received the services, and what happened as a result. More than 140 community-based organizations are currently registered on the Unite Delaware platform.

With today’s announcement and the addition of Delaware 211 as a Unite Delaware partner, if a person’s needs cannot be met by one of Unite Delaware’s existing partners, the care provider can now refer the person’s needs directly to Delaware 211. A Delaware 211 resource specialist will then connect that person to the appropriate local social service provider. Delaware 211, a United Way of Delaware service, provides free, confidential direct referrals to a wide range of social service providers statewide. In addition to referrals for such services as food, clothing, shelter, and more, Delaware 211 can connect Delawareans in need with Help Me Grow Delaware, which links new parents to a wide range of childcare solutions, and $tand By Me®, which connects Delawareans with free financial coaching services.

“Delaware 211 is a staple across the entire state for connecting people who have social needs with a wide range of social service providers,” said Erin Booker, vice president of behavioral health and social care integration at ChristianaCare. “This partnership allows us to support our neighbors in a more robust way as we now connect even more community organizations statewide through this innovative platform that helps to ensure people's needs are met.”

"United Way of Delaware, which provides the Delaware 211 service, appreciates the partnership with ChristianaCare to provide access to an expanded list of community-based service providers,” said Dan Cruce, chief operating officer, United Way of Delaware. “With Delaware 211 partnering with the Unite Delaware initiative, we can connect more Delawareans to the care and social service resources they need. As well, through a data-driven approach that is a vital part of this partnership, we will collaborate with ChristianaCare to better address the social determinants of health through advocacy, innovation and collaboration.”

ChristianaCare partnered with Unite Us to launch Unite Delaware in 2019 as a way to connect health and social care providers in a collaborative ecosystem. Since its launch, nearly 500 Delawareans have been connected to critical social services for over 1,400 identified needs. (Editor’s Note: despite the similarity in names, “Unite Delaware” and “Unite Us” are not part of United Way of Delaware.)

Unite Delaware Virtual Community Chat
Wednesday, July 21st, 1 p.m.
Members of organizations that provide social-care services and other interested members of the community are invited to join Unite Delaware partners to learn more about the platform and implementing the system into your own workflow.
Click here to register.

About ChristianaCare
Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, making high-quality care more accessible and lowering health care costs. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,299 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute.

ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work, rated by Forbes as the 5th best health system to work for in the United States and by IDG Computerworld as one of the nation’s Best Places to Work in IT. ChristianaCare is rated by HealthGrades as one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals and continually ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and other national quality ratings. ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system with more than 260 residents and fellows. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.

About United Way of Delaware
United Way of Delaware (UWDE) works to advance the common good by focusing on three strategic deliverables: Grade-Level Reading, College and Career Success, and Financial Empowerment. UWDE is engaged in a long-term strategy to eliminate the root causes of the most pressing social problems in New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties. UWDE is also responsible for the United Way brand in Salem County, New Jersey, where its activities are guided by the Salem County Advisory Committee of the UWDE Board of Directors. For more information or to support UWDE, visit www.uwde.org, follow United Way of Delaware on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWayofDelaware, Twitter @UnitedWayDE, or call (302) 573-3717.

About Delaware 211
Delaware 211 is a free, confidential referral and information helpline and website that connects Delawareans with health and human service organizations that provide direct support including food, clothing, and housing, and will work with Delawareans in need to identify alternatives for dealing with a wide range of situations, from unemployment, child care, and transportation to assistance during natural disasters. Delawareans in need may dial 2-1-1 Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., or 1-800-560-3372, or may text their zip code to 898-211.

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