South Dakota DOH Taps Health IT for Community Information Exchange

South Dakota's Department of Health (DOH) has awarded a contract to health IT vendor findhelp to build a statewide community information exchange (CIE).

The platform will connect South Dakotans in need of social care services with community providers to drive health outcomes among underserved populations.

The CIE platform will support interoperability through integration with the state's health information exchange (HIE). Using the CIE, providers and community partners will be able to manage service and referral requests and access information about patients' social needs to improve community care coordination.

Addressing social determinants of health (SDOH), such as housing and food insecurity, is essential to advancing health equity among at-risk populations, such as racial and ethnic minority groups and rural communities.

"We are committed to making sure South Dakotans get the help they need, when and where they need it," Rachel Sehr, community engagement director at the South Dakota Department of Health, said in a press release. "Findhelp is the perfect partner to help us achieve this vital mission with dignity and ease."

South Dakotans are familiar with the health IT vendor findhelp. Since April 2020, 240,000 state residents have conducted 900,000 searches on the findhelp platform, supporting nearly 160,000 connections between individuals in need and social care providers. Currently, the findhelp database has 2,914 national, state, and local social care programs supporting individuals across the state.

"We are grateful for the relationships we have built with South Dakotans over the past eight years and are honored to partner with the state's Department of Health to reach even more residents," said Erine Gray, founder and CEO of findhelp.

"Individuals know they can count on findhelp to connect them with the social care services they need, easily and compassionately, while protecting their privacy," Gray added.