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Our Programs Change Lives.


At FLIPA, we believe in the power of transformative programs that create lasting impact. Our success stories highlight the incredible achievements of individuals and communities who have benefited from our tailored services. These stories showcase the real-world results of our commitment to fostering growth, resilience, and opportunity. Each journey demonstrates how our innovative solutions make a difference, turning challenges into successes and goals into reality. Explore our success stories to see the tangible impact FLIPA has made across diverse programs

Improving Health and Wellness Through Food Prescription Using Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Person holding a box of healthy foodThe Problem: In Cortland County, many individuals and families struggle with accessing healthy food, particularly those with chronic health conditions like diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. These conditions are often exacerbated by a lack of access to nutritious foods, leading to poorer health outcomes and increased healthcare costs. The challenge was clear: How could we help individuals and families gain access to healthy foods and improve their overall well-being?

The Solution: The Family Health Network (FHN) and Seven Valleys Health Coalition (SVHC), in collaboration with FLIPA, launched the Food Prescription CSA in 2022. This program was specifically designed to provide weekly home-deliveries of fruits and vegetables to individuals and families over a 22-week period. Participants in the program were enrolled in Medicaid and part of a Value Based Payment contract through FLIPA. They were provided with boxes of fresh produce, along with information on healthy eating habits, food storage, and recipes to prepare the provided items. The Food Prescription CSA continued in 2023 and 2024.

The initiative aimed to positively influence participants' perceptions of their health, increase their knowledge of preparing healthy meals, and highlight the importance of maintaining a balanced diet. By addressing food security and providing the tools necessary to prepare nutritious meals, the program sought to improve overall wellness and reduce healthcare costs over time.

 

The Results: The Food Prescription CSA was a resounding success, significantly impacting the lives of its participants. Key outcomes from the program include:

58%

of participants

  • reported experiencing less stress about obtaining food thanks to the food boxes

67%

of participants

  • indicated that the food boxes helped reduce the number of times they skipped meals

94%

of participants
  • found the recipes provided with the food boxes to be helpful in meal preparation

64%

of participants

  • reported eating more vegetables as a direct result of the program

76%

of participants
  • stated that they gained more knowledge on how to prepare fresh fruits and vegetables, which is critical for long-term health improvement

Testimonials

Quotation

"Since receiving the food boxes, I was back in the kitchen making meals and doing dishes, which also helped with my mental well-being."

Quotation

"My family and I greatly enjoyed the program and receiving fruits and vegetables. It helped a lot during the summer for snacks for the kids."

Quotation

"The program is such a massive blessing. We are very thankful."

 

Through this collaborative effort, the Food Prescription CSA not only addressed immediate food insecurity but also empowered participants to take control of their health. By providing the necessary resources and education, FHN and SVHC have made a lasting impact on the community, paving the way for healthier futures. 

Empowering Health and Nutrition through Community-Based Food Interventions

FLIPA - website (1)

The Problem Chronic conditions, especially among individuals with limited financial resources, are frequently linked to or worsened by inadequate nutrition and limited access to healthy food options. People in this community often face challenges such as transportation barriers, limited knowledge about healthy eating, and the financial burden of purchasing healthy foods. These obstacles not only perpetuate existing health issues but also hinder efforts to embrace healthier lifestyles.

The Solution To address these challenges, the Upstate Family Health Center (UFHC) partnered with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County to create the Food Education & Healthy Eating Program. This initiative was designed to provide participants with the tools and knowledge needed to support healthier food choices and overcome barriers to accessing nutritious meals. The program included:

  • Grocery Store Tours: These tours provided participants with transportation to grocery stores, where they received in-store lessons on healthy shopping strategies. Each participant received a $15 food gift card and a reusable shopping bag. The tours were also supported by interpretation services in six languages, ensuring accessibility for non-English speakers.
  • Virtual Cooking Demonstrations: Participants were provided with produce boxes and other ingredients necessary for the recipes demonstrated during the virtual sessions. These cooking classes were recorded, allowing participants to access them later if needed. The program also removed transportation barriers by delivering food directly to participants' homes and offering transportation funds for grocery store visits.

The Results The impact of the Food Education & Healthy Eating Program has been profound:

  • Increased Access to Healthy Foods: The program reached 78 unique individuals through food box deliveries and provided grocery store tours to 19 individuals. All participants in the grocery store tours also received food boxes, ensuring they had the resources needed to put their new knowledge into practice.
  • Positive Behavior Changes: Survey results revealed significant behavior changes among participants:

94%

of grocery store tour participants

  • planned to eat more fruits

83%

of grocery store tour participants

  • planned to eat more vegetables

100%

of grocery store tour participants

  • committed to cooking more meals at home and comparing prices before purchasing food.

96%

of food box recipients

  • reported that the boxes helped their families consume healthier meals each week

78%

of food box recipients

  • reported eating more fruit

67%

of food box recipients

  • reported eating more vegetables

Testimonials

Quotation

"I am able to see the difference in my health, my appetite is returning."

Quotation

"Looking forward to the joy of trying new recipes and exploring healthier food options."

The partnership between UFHC and Cornell Cooperative Extension has effectively addressed critical barriers to healthy eating for individuals served, fostering long-term changes in behavior and health outcomes. This program serves as a model for how targeted interventions can make a significant difference in community health.

Transforming Care through the Integrated Acute Contact Team (i-ACT) Model

 

iACT-Logo

 

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The Problem: For people with complex health needs, especially those managing mental health/substance use disorders, navigating the healthcare system can be daunting. They frequently encounter hurdles such as lack of transportation, difficulty accessing social services, and challenges in coordinating care across multiple providers. These obstacles not only complicate their ability to receive timely and effective care but also result in rising healthcare costs and preventable hospitalizations.

 

The Solution: The Forward Leading IPA (FLIPA) introduced the Integrated Acute Contact Team (i-ACT) as an innovative model of care designed to address identified challenges. i-ACT leverages a risk-stratified cohort management approach to deliver integrated, person-centered care. The key components of the i-ACT program include:

  • Collaborative Care Coordination: The program brings together primary care and behavioral health care teams to operate as a unified treatment team, often across organizations. This approach ensures that the individual’s most acute needs across domains including social care, are prioritized and addressed efficiently.
  • Barrier Removal: i-ACT proactively identifies and removes barriers to care, such as transportation issues and gaps in social services, ensuring that individuals can access the care they need when they need it.
  • Person-Centered Approach: The program emphasizes meeting individuals where they are, prioritizing what's important to the individual, and providing continuous engagement and support through ongoing monitoring and open communication channels.

The Results: The impact of i-ACT is profound, demonstrating significant improvements in outcomes and reductions in healthcare utilization:

  • High Engagement and Rapid Response: Across 88 referrals made in 2023 in one i-ACT community, 83% of individuals had their needs met within just two weeks. This quick response time has been critical in stabilizing and promoting recovery.
  • Reduction in Emergency Visits and Hospitalizations: In a demonstration evaluation, the program successfully reduced acute visits 83% after only 6 months. Likely related is the substantial increased engagement in outpatient primary care and behavioral health services, suggesting people are connecting with the supports they need to keep them well and out or crisis.
  • More Effective and Satisfied Care Teams: Timely communication, coordination of resources, and effective interagency conferencing for shared patients has led to strong positive feedback from care teams that i-ACT allows them help people more efficiently and effectively.
  • Improved Health and Stability: Individuals supported by i-ACT reported:

25%

reduction
  • in overall social care needs

60%

reduction
  • in needs for material goods

32%

reduction

  • in transportation needs

52%

reduction

  • in housing needs

24%

reduction

  • in stress levels

 

By integrating care across multiple domains and focusing on the whole person, i-ACT has not only improved health outcomes but also demonstrated the potential for cost savings through value-based care models. This program serves as a model for how coordinated, person-centered care can effectively address the complex needs of high-risk populations, ultimately leading to better health and well-being.

 

The success of i-ACT highlights the importance of integrated care and the potential for similar models to be scaled and adapted across other communities, further improving access to care and outcomes for those most in need.

 

 

Supporting Parents and Caregivers Through Bright Start Connect

 

BrightStartConnectByFLIPA-CMYK

 

Mom hugging young child

The Problem: 

Maternal Child Health was identified as an area of focus, reflecting FLIPA’s commitment to integration and reducing barriers to care. Efforts to support wellness and prevention among this population needed more capacity and resources to drive widespread improvements.
  

FLIPA was awarded a Project LAUNCH (Linking Actions for Unmet Needs in Children’s Health) SAMHSA grant in the fall of 2023.  Branding this project as Bright Start Connect by FLIPA, the overarching goal is to promote the wellness of young children from birth to 8 years of age by addressing the social, emotional, cognitive, physical, and behavioral aspects of their development, as well as to prepare them to thrive in school and beyond. Bright Start Connect, focusing on the Upstate New York region served by FLIPA, promotes resilience and emotional health for children and their families through dissemination of resources and tools describing effective early childhood mental health practices, and improving access to preventive/early intervention focused services.

 

The Solution: 

  1. Direct Caregiver Support: Bright Start Connect offers live virtual groups and self-paced web-based workshops for caregivers to build confidence in their parenting journey.  Individual sessions are available with our team of child development professionals to address unique family needs, problem solve and answer questions. Our website hosts connections to trusted resources, further giving families confidence to find reliable answers. This self-paced and individual approach supports open access and ensures caregivers can get the answers and support they need when they need it.​
  2. Provider Resources: Bright Start Connect is committed to equipping providers connected to these families such as pediatricians, family practice providers, early care, and early education providers with the tools and resources they need to ensure families have everything they need to succeed.  Our program offers access to training and consultation for providers on early childhood development, infant mental health, universal screening practices, and evidence-based strategies to support families.

  3. Screening Standard: To promote early universal screening and assessment, Bright Start Connect is committed to creating a standard practice to empower FLIPA Member Primary Care providers to take a holistic, integrated, data-driven, and person-centered approach to child health care.  FLIPA’s 0-30 month Screening Standard of Care was extended to include recommendations up to age 8 and incorporated additional screens to address Growth and Development, Social Care Needs, Behavioral/Emotional, and Parenting. Bright Start Connect will work with individual organizations to adapt the workflow to their needs, implement the standardized screenings and assessments, and collect, review, and utilize data from these tools to make clinical decisions and referrals for health and SDOH services.

The Results: During the first grant year (September 2023-September 2024), we have:

 

44

Organizations 
  • collaborated with

34

Individuals Screened
  • for mental health or related interventions

136

Professionals Trained

  • in prevention or mental health promotion

18

Individuals Served

  • with evidence-based mental health-related services

Comments from caregiver workshop participants highlight the positive impact:

  • Increased access to professional advice and trusted resources

  • Increased confidence and intention to make positive behavior change

Quotation

"I learned some new terms and concepts. The presentation was on point and provided a lot of detail to understand the concepts."

Quotation

"Really like the way everything was explained. Very participative and was also a space to drain frustrations about my children's sleep patterns and problems."

86%

Of Participants Agreed

  • the workshop was a valuable use of their time
  • the workshop increased their knowledge and understanding of the topic

71%

Of Participants Agreed

  • the workshop increased their confidence in their ability to support their child/children
  • they will use what they learned during the workshop in their everyday life

71%

Of Participants Agreed

  • they would attend another Bright Start Connect workshop

86%

Of Participants Agreed

  • they would recommend this workshop to another parent/caregiver

 

Participants noted that they loved the small group setting, the convenience of virtual options for joining from home or work, and the chat features that gave them the opportunity to participate easily.