Priorities

The REACH Foundation’s 2011-2015 strategic plan specifies two large priority areas, or targeted outcomes, that guide the foundation’s grant making, public policy and advocacy, and capacity building efforts: 

1. Access – Increasing the number of people in the Foundation’s service area who have access to quality, affordable health care services and health coverage.
2. Quality – Improving the quality of health services by promoting integration of services, supporting patient-centered care, and advancing cultural competency.

These targeted outcomes are linked to a set of strategies (see below) that are part of the foundation’s theory of change, which describes how our organization will seek to improve health care and health outcomes in our six-county service area. The theory of change outlines key strategies, indicators of access and quality, and the long-term outcomes we will seek to achieve and measure. It also serves as a tool for assessing grant proposals and funding opportunities.

Read about the REACH Foundation Theory of Change. 

Strategies

For the two targeted outcomes, we have identified strategies to increase access and quality of health services.

I.  Strategies to Increase Access to Health Care Services and Coverage

• Expand availability of oral health, mental health and safety-net health services.
• Use of expanded scopes of practice and alternative health care providers.
• Public policy that strengthens Medicaid, advances alternative provider use and protects the safety net.
• Advocacy to inform and educate consumers, providers and policy makers.
• Place-based services and use of technology to deliver health services and information where consumers are located.

II.  Strategies to Improve the Quality of Health Care Services

• Implementation of patient-centered medical home and health home standards in safety-net clinics and community mental health centers.
• Integration of oral, behavioral and primary health care services.  
• Care coordination or intensive case management/disease management to improve chronic conditions and promote self-care.
• Implementation of evidence-based treatment approaches in oral health, mental health and physical health care.
• Build organizational and provider cultural competency to meet the health care needs of people from diverse backgrounds and cultures.
• Use of technology to improve quality of health services and patient engagement in care.

The Foundation continues its long-standing commitment to funding oral health, mental health and safety net health services, but there are some programs REACH no longer supports in order to allocate our limited resources where we can have the greatest impact.

For more information, review our Eligibility Criteria and Frequently Asked Questions.