Health and health behaviors are influenced by more than just genetics and clinical care. They are largely influenced by social, economic, and environmental factors that impact patients’ ability to access care and services. Health centers address these issues of access through a range of methods, including the provision of enabling services. 

AAPCHO and HOP will kick off the PCA Enabling Services Summit by providing a concise definition of Enabling Services (ES): non‐clinical services that support the delivery of basic health services and facilitate access to comprehensive patient care as well as social services. Enabling Services include case management, benefit counseling or eligibility assistance, health education and supportive counseling, interpretation, outreach, transportation, and education of patients and the community regarding the availability and appropriate use of health services. They often serve to “bring patients in the door,” but can also bring the care to the patients. In breaking down both common and personal barriers to care, Enabling Services are particularly important for those communities that experience the most acute health disparities in terms of access and outcomes. These include the poor, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, the uninsured and under-insured, and geographically and culturally isolated populations, people living with multiple and complex chronic conditions – the very communities served by health centers, making Enabling Services essential to health centers’ missions. 

Season 1, Episode 1: Enabling Services Overview

Guests: Joe Lee from AAPCHO and Kristina Wharton from HOP

Click the link for additional resources on Enabling Services from AAPCHO and HOP. All resources are available and free to PCAs, HCCNs, and health centers.

Learning Objectives: 

• Define what Enabling Services are and how they serve health center patients. 

• Describe the importance of the role of enabling services to bridge access to care. 

• Provide a preview on demonstrating the value of enabling services for health centers and the role of PCAs in supporting enabling services.