What is Care Connect?

Care Connect is an innovative program that offers care coordination services to anyone who has been impacted by COVID-19 in King County. Community-based organizations with trusting relationships to local residents provide care coordination services directly, with referrals processed and assigned via the HealthierHere Community Hub. Any resident in King County who has been impacted by COVID-19 is eligible for three-six months of support and being connected to health and social services by Care Coordinators.

About the YMCA of Greater Seattle

The YMCA of Greater Seattle (also known as “the Y”), serves King County and its surrounding areas across 14 branches. In addition to being a recreational facility, the YMCA also provides space for the community to receive valuable amenities and programming, such as:

-             access to physical activity

-             water safety and aquatics for all ages

-             childcare and youth enrichment

-             transitional and permanent housing assistance

-             outpatient mental health counseling

-             crisis response services

Advancing Care Coordination at the YMCA  

The YMCA of Greater Seattle works with healthcare providers across the region to connect patients to evidence-based chronic disease prevention and management programs. The aim is to help people foster healthy lifestyles conducive to long-term whole person health. Since 2023 when the YMCA joined Care Connect, the multitude of offerings at the YMCA has not only increased, but more clients and community members have directly benefited by efforts of the various Community Health Workers (CHWs).

Care Connect at the YMCA: In the CHW’s own words

The YMCA’s CHWs feel passionately about the transformative impact of the Care Connect program. Bee Sciullo feels that one of the tenets of the program is its inclusive nature, providing crucial assistance regardless of income level. They emphasize the newfound vulnerability many people face because of the pandemic, stressing the importance of education and destigmatizing help-seeking. Bee says, “People who've never had to question their stability before are finding themselves in need of resources courtesy of both the acute and long-term effects of the pandemic.”

Rene De Los Santos welcomes the expanded reach of resources through Care Connect, highlighting the collective effort of working with fellow CHWs to make a difference: “Reaching out to provide aid is completely satisfying and well worth every effort.  No one does this work alone. Working with a group of like-minded individuals committed to helping those in need has been refreshing knowing that not only do we help others, but we also help ourselves.  Working together, we can help our community achieve stability and better health.”  

Looking to the future, Sally Sundar, Program Executive – Health Integration and Transformation for the Y, expresses eagerness to see how the program will evolve and grow. She notes, “We are excited to work with the Care Connect team and bring our organization’s long history of employing motivational interviewing and relationship building skills to understanding how to best support each person’s health journey.”

Where to Learn More

To learn more about the YMCA of Greater Seattle and its services, please visit: https://www.seattleymca.org/

To learn more about the Care Connect program and receive support if you have been impacted by COVID-19, please fill out our intake form.

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