Electronic Health Record Purchase & Implementation

Grantee: Voices of Tomorrow
Timeframe: October 2024 – September 2025 | Amount: $30,000

Voices of Tomorrow (VOT) will use Nimble Grant funds to purchase and implement an Electronic Health Record (EHR) System. VOT needs an EHR before they can begin delivering direct behavioral health services to East African immigrant and refugee children and families. Funds for this time-limited project will make it possible for VOT to improve immigrants and refugees’ access to behavioral health care that is culturally and linguistically responsive. Ultimately, this project will improve behavioral health outcomes and increase a sense of wellbeing for East African immigrants and refugees.

VOT has carried out community conversations on trauma, mental health, stigma, and reasons to seek professional help for mental health concerns since 2020. VOT has observed an increase in understanding of trauma and mental health conditions among the families they support. The community is ready to engage with behavioral health care IF it is culturally and linguistically responsive, accessible, and provided by an agency they trust. VOT recently completed a year-long project with PHPDA Nimble funding that resulted in their Washington State Department of Health Behavioral Health License. Part of that process included infrastructure planning. VOT needs an EHR to be compliant and serve patients safely and efficiently. This project has three phases:

1. Research Phase: VOT plans to contract with a consultant to guide them through the process of assessing their organizational needs and sifting through available EHR options to find a system that will best meet their needs. The activities for this phase of work will include: (1) CFO contracting with a consultant to facilitate the project; (2) putting together a team composed of the consultant, Executive VOT Staff, VOT’s Database Manager, and Database Coordinator to make the selection; (3) communicating with vendors for demonstrations and to answer questions; (4) developing a list of options with features/price points/highlights and drawbacks. The consultant and VOT Database Manager will talk to other behavioral health clinics using EHR systems to ask what they like/don’t like about the system they use. VOT will then evaluate the list of options and select an EHR. The research phase will conclude with the selection of an EHR to buy and implement.2. Purchasing Phase: VOT plans to use some Nimble funds to pay for the first year of the new EHR. During this phase, the consultant, VOT Database Manager, and CFO will work with the vendor to purchase the system. The purchasing phase will conclude with the purchase of the EHR.

   3. Implementation Phase: During this phase, VOT’s Database Manager and Database Coordinator will work with the consultant to develop and carry out an implementation plan. VOT expects this plan will include customization of EHR tools, data migration (as applicable; VOT does not currently have patient data), testing and piloting, staff training, and IT support for staff when they encounter issues with the new system. Because VOT has not started direct services yet, they will carefully coordinate with the Behavioral Health Program Development Committee to determine how they can best configure the EHR, so they are proactively set up to meet future needs around insurance billing, prescriptions, etc. The implementation phase will conclude with a fully implemented EHR.

ABOUT OUR GRANTEE

Voices of Tomorrow

“Voices of Tomorrow is a non-profit organization that provides social services to immigrants and refugees from East African communities, the most vulnerable in Washington State.”