U of M's Clinical and Translational Science Institute helps Minnesota organizations achieve Triple Aim

The University of Minnesota's Office of Community Engagement for Health (OCEH) - a Clinical and Translational Science Institute effort - has helped build mutual trust and respect between the University and the surrounding community since its founding in 2009.

Now, the OCEH has set its sights on a new level of community partnership with the new Triple Aim initiative.

The Triple Aim is a framework used nationally, focused on: 1) improving the patient experience; 2) improving the health of the populations; and 3) reducing the cost of care.

Working with organizations throughout Minnesota, the OCEH is facilitating the implementation of new health care innovations within and across Minnesota communities

"The Triple Aim is of utmost importance to the OCEH and broader University as a whole, and to achieve the effort we'll be working to engage and collaborate with organizations beyond just hospitals and clinics," said Sheila Riggs, D.D.S., D.M.Sc., director of OCEH. "Our current partners - organizations like the Courage Center and Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota - are seeing first-hand what this collaboration can do for their organization and the patients they serve."

The Courage Center is a nonprofit rehabilitation and resource center that serves children and adults with brain and spinal cord injury, stroke, chronic pain, autism and disabilities experienced since birth.

"The OCEH is starting to change the conversation about what will be needed to really achieve the Triple Aim for the whole state, not just parts of Minnesota," said Jan Malcolm, chief executive officer of the Courage Center. "As a result, the dialogue has been more complete and more promising for addressing the whole picture of health, especially for the most vulnerable segments of the state's population."

Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota is the state's largest nonprofit social service organization focused on providing children, youth and families, people with disabilities and older adults the opportunity to live and work in the community with dignity, safety and hope.

"We had the opportunity to participate in the Triple Aim Innovation Conference, which allowed us to compare notes with other organizations seeking to re-design health care and human services for the future," said Jodi Harpstead, chief executive officer of the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota. "We learned a lot and made connections that we're currently exploring to create new partnerships for our work that we believe will be models for the integration of healthcare and social services to improve quality and reduce cost."

More information about the Triple Aim initiative and the OCEH