Conduit Health Partners Assists Federally Qualified Health Centers 

Updated on May 1, 2023

Nurse triage services expand access to quality care in four states for 40,000+ patients

Conduit Health Partners, a health care solutions company focused on improving care and access to care, has recently begun providing nurse triage services to four Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC): Unity Care NW in northwest Washington; Tuolumne Me-Wuk Indian Health Center in Sonora, California; Kenosha Community Health Center in Wisconsin and Clackamas Health Centers in Oregon. With these four combined FQHCs, Conduit is a key partner in providing high-quality care that is easily accessible to people of all ages, regardless of their health insurance status and their ability to pay.

“We are honored that our registered nurses can provide timely clinical expertise to more than 40,000 patients across four states, to help them get the right care at the right time,” said Cheryl Dalton-Norman, president of Conduit Health Partners. “At Conduit, we believe every person should have accessible, affordable, high-quality care, and supporting our federal safety-net system through nurse triage services is one way we can do our part.”

FQHCs are federally funded nonprofit health centers, or clinics, that care for traditionally underserved populations, and are an essential part of the health care safety-net in the U.S. FQHCs provide primary care, dental and behavioral health services, and have a common mission of enhancing primary care services to underserved urban and rural communities. FQHCs are required to offer nurse triage services as a way to address staffing shortages and streamline care. 

“We are excited about our partnership with Conduit Health to provide our patients with more timely access to quality nurse triage and nurse advice,” said Shanon Hardie, chief operations officer, Unity Care NW. “We particularly like Conduit Health’s Nurse First Model, which means our patients get to speak with a nurse right when they call in.”

Conduit Health Partners nurse-first model combines Schmitt-Thompson support tools and clinical expertise to deliver safe recorded telephonic assessments that lead to quality care advice and best-practice recommendations based on each patient’s unique needs. Conduit’s collaboration with these four FQHCs will help patients make informed decisions about handling various health and wellness concerns and connect them with the appropriate resources.

“Our nurse triage services help alleviate the $47 billion a year that unnecessary ER visits cost the U.S. health care system,” said Dusti Browning, MSN, NE-BC, vice president of client solutions for Conduit Health Partners. “Our 24/7 services help callers avoid unnecessary visits to hospital emergency departments. Because we’re an extension of the health care teams we collaborate with, this allows onsite care teams to focus on in-person patient care. We know that whenever care can be provided in the primary care setting, where the patient is known, continuity of care and better outcomes are achieved.”

About Conduit Health Partners

Conduit Health Partners is a health care solutions company that connects patients and employees to the care they need, when they need it, through customized services in patient transfer, nurse triage, remote patient monitoring, including hospital at-home and patient outreach. With innovation at the forefront, Conduit is an operational partner that improves care and access for health systems, provider groups, health plans and employers via cost-effective, efficient solutions delivered by more than 200 nurses serving over 200 locations in 47 states. Conduit has improved access to care for more than 1.7 million people since its inception in 2017. Learn more at www.conduithp.com.   

About Unity Care NW

The mission of Unity Care NW (UCNW) is to increase the years of healthy life in the people and communities we serve. UCNW is a federally-qualified health center with sites in Bellingham and Ferndale. Established in 1982, the non-profit organization provides medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services to over 22,000 Whatcom County residents who consider Unity Care NW their medical home. Services are available for all people regardless of their ability to pay.

About Tuolumne Me-Wuk Indian Health Center

Locations Tuolumne Me-Wuk Indian Health Center offers primary care, pediatrics, dental, behavioral health, wellness and illness prevention, physical therapy and substance abuse programs. The Clinics focus on holistic practices, health education, and Native American values that concentrate on healing for the whole family. All Tuolumne Me-Wuk Health Centers are open to everyone and accepts Medi-Cal and most insurances.

About Kenosha Community Health Center

The Kenosha Community Health Center, Inc. (KCHC), a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that provides primary medical, dental, and behavioral health services to residents in Kenosha, Racine, and Walworth Counties in Southeastern Wisconsin. The services are provided at five clinic locations and through mobile care services to area schools, churches, businesses, and other community venues. KCHC provides services to over 18,000 individuals annually and has been working intensely to identify vulnerable groups and populations within the community, develop skills to establish relationships, and provide access to care.

About Clackamas Health Centers

Clackamas Health Centers (CHC) is a fully integrated, publicly run federally qualified health care center (FQHC). It provides comprehensive specialty behavioral health care, primary care (including prenatal), and dental care. In addition to having four primary care clinics (all with dental and some specialty behavioral health), it has four school-based health centers and multiple specialty behavioral health locations. As a public entity, CHC has natural deep ties to public health, community housing, WIC, and Community Corrections. CHC is a leading provider of primary care-based integrated addictions care including medications for opioid use disorder. This strength is a result of CHC’s significant behavioral health breadth and depth.

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