Consortia

Many rural care coordination programs have established consortia to address community needs. The consortium leverages the unique strengths and resources of different agencies. Key roles and responsibilities of each consortium member may include:

• Providing staffing necessary to execute and oversee grant activities
• Providing training and technical assistance to collaborating organizations
• Serving as a steward of project funds
• Participating in a consortium board of directors
• Protecting proprietary data
• Coordinating and addressing social service needs of program participants (e.g., patients), which may include housing, medication assistance, insurance, and transportation services
• Improving coordination of care transitions across organizations through protocols and agreements
• Developing reports of activities and participating in evaluation efforts
• Participating in sustainability activities

Defining the roles and responsibilities of each partner and staff person is critical to assuring that individual patients' health needs are effectively addressed. This is often done through a memorandum of understanding (MOU).