Oakland residents and agencies are the first to have access to HELP4U, a new and free interactive web-based platform that locates and connects people to healthcare, job training and childcare services in Oakland and other parts of Alameda County. 

Mayor Ron Dellums and Eric Flowers, CEO of Ramsell Holding Corporation, creator of HELP4U, announced its launch last week at City Hall.

Paul Rose, press secretary to Dellums, said HELP4U brings Oakland another step closer to the mayor’s model city vision. He said the Dellums believes it will help provide a better life for residents by ensuring that everyone has access to resources that provide healthcare and social services.

According to the mayor’s office, there are about 200,000 people in Oakland who don’t have health insurance, and even more who need basic services to survive.

Rose said, in the current economic climate and with Oakland’s budget deficit, the city wasn’t in a position to achieve this goal alone. It formed a public-private partnership with Ramsell which, he said, has a long history of helping the underserved with their health needs, to make this tool a reality. According to Rose and Flowers, Ramsell has provided HELP4U as a free tool at no cost to the city.

Rose said the city will promote HELP4U through its social media community and flyers, while Dellums will talk about it with other elected officials and staff.

Flowers said about 300 Oakland and Alameda County health and service providers can be found on the site, including Alameda County Medical Center, AIDS Project East Bay and Circle of Care. Ramsell plans to add providers throughout the Bay Area and eventually expand to other major metropolitan areas. He said, if service providers want to customize the platform for their needs, only then would there be a fee.

According to Flowers, HELP4U is an “intelligent search” that identifies what services are needed according to a participant’s answers to questions posed during site registration.

He said people don’t always know where to go to find out what services are available. Residents who have access to the internet can use the search function to locate local service providers when needed. Participants can also register and receive detailed search results. Results can be saved and accessed any time.

Flowers explained that, while some will locate information themselves, others may use a facilitator such as a family member or agency case worker. He said, rather than using a Google search, which provides broad results, HELP4U allows for more specific responses.

The way the healthcare system works now, said Flowers, “government funded agencies are like silos”: They operate hidden from each other. Case workers don’t know what other services participant use, and some may be receiving duplicate services for the same diagnosis. In addition, when a participant needs several social and healthcare services, accessing them can be complicated.

“When you present a situation where the participant has to go to three different locations and undergo three different processes, for those with multiple diagnoses, the chances of them being able to follow through on all three is not good,” he explained. “Help4U simplifies case management and provides a common platform where information is readily available."

For example, Flowers said, if a participant’s first need is housing, and while at the housing office mentions healthcare and youth service needs, the housing facilitator can identify and connect the client to healthcare and youth service resources on the spot. With the participant’s permission, agencies, physicians and pharmacies can communicate with each other for more comprehensive care.

Flower said agencies and case workers can be linked in the system, creating a “virtual care group.” Participants can communicate with case managers and service providers via an e-mail function on HELP4U or free voice messaging using a toll free number. Facilitators and service providers can monitor participants’ progress and add programs or resources when needed. Program sponsors and funders can track key metrics for qualifying participants and improve services based on those statistics.

Flowers said participants control what information is shared between agencies. Even with permission, agencies dealing with different situations can’t see the participant’s personal history, only the names of the other agencies and case workers.

He said that all standard privacy regulations were strictly adhered to, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and general health and psychiatry privacy laws.

Paul Cwynar, development director of the Berkeley Food & Housing Project, attended a workshop introducing HELP4U to agencies and specifically asked about privacy protections. He said he was comfortable with Ramsell’s answers and wants his agency to be part of the tool so it can reach out to as many people as possible who need emergency food and housing.

“It will benefit our clients and case managers because the site is designed to direct clients to the agencies that will best assist them with their needs,” said Cwynar.

Flowers said there’s been an “extremely warm reception” and different agencies see different value points. He said Ramsell is providing a high level of support and wants to build trust and comfort with the agencies so it’s as user friendly as possible.

He said, “Then dialog moves to, ‘How do we apply it and use it?' 'Is it configurable?’ and ‘How do we change from the old system to this one?'”

Flowers said Ramsell will continue to identify programs, individuals and agencies that could use HELP4U and reach out to them. He said everything Ramsell learns through HELP4U’s launch in Oakland will help the company roll it out to more communities in a shorter amount of time.

To learn more about HELP4U, click here.

To get started on search or registration, click here.