WILLIAMSBURG-Community Access Network (CAN) recently announced the selection of Natalie Miller-Moore, a Williamsburg community frontrunner with wide-ranging experience in health communications, as director of its Williamsburg Integrated Care Initiative (WICI) project. Miller-Moore will lead the effort in investigating ways to craft and implement a fully-integrated healthcare system similar to CAN’s existing model.
The end-goal of the WICI is to provide a facility for underserved community members that will provide multiple health services in one centralized location, eliminating the need for outside referrals to other offices.
“We’re envisioning a multidisciplinary team, or a bunch of different people with various specialties, working together for the same goal under one roof,” she said.
CAN, which is headquartered in Lynchburg, has created a network of health care providers and organizations that prioritize health and empathy over bottom lines while breaking down the barriers that keep individuals from getting the care they deserve. Locally, Miller-Moore’s been charged with formulating a plan that will strengthen the health care safety net for uninsured and underinsured individuals, which in turn will benefit the health of the entire Greater Williamsburg community.
Miller-Moore has built strong relationships within the local healthcare industry over the past two decades. Her background includes stints as a healthcare journalist and freelancer. She obtained experience with previous positions such as a grant scout for Riverside Health System’s Research and Discovery Department and through working on several writing projects including features on technology, innovations, and human-interest stories with Sentara.
“I’ve worked on a lot of projects related to my favorite area of focus, which is patient decision making and health literacy,” she said.
WICI will identify needs for the Greater Williamsburg area, including expanding needs for behavioral health and comprehensive primary care, and assess what collaborative solutions are available.
“It’s all about providing human-centered healthcare,” said Miller-Moore. “My role is all about planning, so I’m talking to people in the community about what the area’s mental health care needs are, what our primary care needs are, and whether we need more pediatric specialties regarding pediatric primary care.”
Though Miller-Moore has only been director of the initiative for a few months, she’s spoken with numerous health care workers and professionals individually and in group settings to get a feel for what’s in store.
“For example, it seems pretty clear to me that we have a large number of low-income service workers and tourism workers who need affordable health care,” said Miller-Moore. “We could really have a big impact if it was more accessible to them in terms of how much it costs, what the facility hours are that serve them, and where the facility is located.”
Over the next year, Miller-Moore and Community Access Network will work with local community leaders to create a plan for a fully integrated advance primary care and behavioral health system for low-income individuals not already receiving care in the Greater Williamsburg region.
“I’ve been hired for the life of the initiative to convene the community for a bunch of conversations,” said Miller-Moore. “We have two committees that are currently operating, and by June of 2023, we should have some plans for what kind of services we will offer, who will offer them, staffing, and what funding looks like.”
WICI is looking for people to share their experiences and insight for making health care more accessible in Greater Williamsburg. The community is invited to an informational Zoom session that will take place on Thursday, January 5, followed by a live meeting on Tuesday, January 10. To express interest in joining the Insight Committee for the Williamsburg Integrated Care Initiative, click here. To express interest in engaging in “focus group style” roundtable conversation, click here.
For more information about WICI, please contact Miller-Moore by phone at 757-987-4930 or send an email to natalie.miller-moore@communityaccessnetwork.org.
