Person and Family Engagement

The active participation of individuals and their families can be critical to the success of a services integration program. Rural services integration programs have engaged people and their families in different ways.

As part of a one-stop shop center for children with behavioral, developmental, social, or emotional needs, Kreider Services Inc. hosts a regular parent forum. This forum provides an opportunity for parents who use the center's services to share their feedback on the program. Kreider Services Inc. uses this input to help guide the development of their center and the services and programs offered.

Another rural community established an advisory committee for their school-based services integration program. This committee included program partners, parents, and school officials. This committee helped increase support for and trust in the program. The committee also provides feedback on “parent-friendly” services that the program provides to better accommodate the needs of low income, working parents who want and need to access health services.