Visible Network Labs is constantly conducting new research into networks, including social connectedness, inter-organizational collaboration, cross-sector partnership, and community and public health. This new paper was introduced at the 2020 Journal of Health & Human Services Administration Symposium. 

As evidence emerges that health outcomes are determined by factors outside of the clinical health care delivery system, the nonprofit sector’s relevance to supporting positive health outcomes grows through the delivery of community-based services. Specifically, it’s critical to understand the available community carrying capacity to address health system referrals

This paper examines whether nonprofit community-based organizations have the capacity to absorb new referrals from clinical partners. The expectation of increasing referral activity raises concerns over limited nonprofit community carrying capacity. Using Social Network Analysis, we analyze the network of partners that make up two such community systems and determine the prominence of the referral function, the resources most frequently contributed to the network, dependence on primary revenue sources directly related to the clinical health care delivery system, and the community-based organizations’ perceptions of their financial stability and ability to rapidly respond to increasing referrals. The results suggest steps by which referrals from the clinical health care delivery system to community-based organizations can benefit both parties and health outcomes. You can read the entire research paper and download a PDF of it to use for any non-commercial purposes below. Looking for more information about this study. Contact our team for information and to learn more.

Keywords: Network analysis; Community-based organizations; Cross-sector; Social determinants of health; Nonprofit carrying capacity; Community carrying capacity; Community Carrying Capacity to Address Health System Referrals