Disclaimer: Moving Health Care Upstream is a collaborative effort originally co-led by Nemours Children’s Health System (Nemours) and the Center for Healthier Children, Families & Communities at the University of California- Los Angeles (UCLA). The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Nemours, UCLA or the Moving Health Care Upstream initiative.
Exploring the Roles & Functions of Health Systems within Population Health Integrator Networks:
In 2012, Nemours’ National Office of Policy & Prevention and a team of stakeholders wrote an article entitled “Integrator Role and Functions in Population Health Improvement Initiatives.” The article outlined three core functions that “integrators” carry out to help network partners break down silos and advance ambitious health goals for their regions. In the ensuing years after this report, the field’s knowledge of how multi-sector networks for population health organize themselves and coordinate their services has grown tremendously. In spite of these developments in the field, an opportunity remains to help unpack the mechanics of how hospitals and health systems overcome unique challenges of serving as integrators while helping networks improve the overall living conditions of youth and families around the US.
