Wood River Health was featured at the New England Rural Health Association conference in Groton, CT on November 4-5th, 2025, where over 400 partners from across the region gathered to discuss the challenges and unique landscape of healthcare in rural New England.
In a breakout session, Director of Care Coordination Kat Miller and Community Health Worker Shannon Brennan presented two strategies that Wood River Health has employed using community partnerships to expand capacity for housing support services in Washington County.
In 2024, Wood River Health received grants to begin two unique projects focused on improving access to housing support and keeping residents in their homes. In partnership with a local housing developer, Wood River has made a Community Health Worker available at 2 affordable housing sites in Washington County. Residents can utilize the CHW to get support for budgeting, work training programs, support with schools/family concerns, and other factors which can affect housing stability. They also can gain access to the medical, dental, and behavioral health services that Wood River Health provides and receive personalized care coordination which is shown to improve health outcomes. In addition, Wood River Health was able to begin a weekly bus route through Hope Valley. The bus is free to ride to the Hope Valley medical office as well as local pharmacies, grocery, and other points of interest.
The second project featured Wood River Health's partnership with WARM Center using a mini-grant for Home Stabilization Services for Medicaid recipients. Home Stabilization Certified providers offer assistance in keeping recipients in their homes or in finding homes that are affordable. Through this partnership, the organizations have embarked on a mission for sustainable service in our area and have provided assistance to over 130 households.
Following the session, the presenters fielded questions from organizations across New England. They hope the work featured will inspire others to form their own partnerships in their own communities.
