Connect Rx is a platform used to help increase connections between patients, healthcare providers, and community groups and organizations to support patients live happier and healthier lives.

To accomplish this goal, we leverage a model of care known as “Social Prescribing.”

Social prescribing is a holistic, person-centred, and community-based approach to health and wellbeing that bridges the gap between clinical and non-clinical supports and services.

By drawing on the central tenets of health promotion and disease prevention, it offers a way to mitigate the impacts of adverse social determinants of health and health inequities by addressing non-medical, health-related social needs (e.g., issues with housing, food, employment, income, social support).

While it looks different across the globe, it is recognized as being a means for trusted individuals in clinical and community settings to identify that a person has non-medical, health-related social needs and to subsequently connect them to non-clinical supports and services within the community by co-producing a social prescription – a non-medical prescription, to improve health and wellbeing and to strengthen community connections. It requires collective action and collaboration among multiple sectors and stakeholders. It begins with an identifier, usually a clinical professional, who identifies that a person has non-medical, health-related social needs.

Typically, they refer the person to a connector, but they may act as the connecting agent themselves by connecting the person to non-clinical supports and services within the community.

Hence, either party may co-produce the social prescription with the person. The connector, who is usually a non-clinical professional, provides personalized support and focuses on what matters to the person. They co-produce a personalized action plan with the person by supporting them to assess their needs, strengths, and interests, and they subsequently connect the person to non-clinical supports and services within the community, support them to access those community resources by addressing any barriers that may exist, and follow up with them.

Through a feedback loop, they report back to the identifier. They conduct motivational interviewing to promote behaviour change, spend time with the person to build trust, and empower them to take greater control of their own health and wellbeing.

Finally, monitoring and evaluation are conducted to measure outcomes through the collection of qualitative and quantitative data and the completion of pre and post assessments to understand the impact on the person (e.g., non-medical, health-related social needs, health and wellbeing [physical, mental, social], satisfaction), clinical and non-clinical supports and services (e.g., demand, costs), and the community.”

Traditional clinical and medical services influence less than 20% of health outcomes. Social prescribing aims to address the other 80% of health, by helping individuals to identify and fulfill their needs by building pathways to connect with community and social services in your community.

Most of us readily recognize that building a more connected community is critical for civic life. However, social integration is also a powerful determinant of health. Most people don’t know that being socially disconnected is as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day! Indeed, decades of scientific studies now show that social connections is not only the most important determinant of happiness and positive mental health, but is also a powerful medicine for preventing wear and tear on your body.

When we are connected, we handle stress better, we make healthier decisions, and we are better able to recover from the challenges life throws our way.

For too long, health systems have ignored these fundamental realities. We have focused on treating bodies and symptoms rather than treating human beings.

Social prescribing aims to address this gap by focusing on holistic, person-centered approaches to promoting health, preventing disease, and curing illness.

Using Connect Rx is easy!

If you are a patient, simply click here to get started! We’ll help you identify your needs, assess potential connections for you, provide you an opportunity to find other services that might meet your needs, and give you a chance to share your experience accessing social prescribing.

If you are a healthcare provider, you can simply refer your patients to our patient portal. Further, if you register as a healthcare provider, patients can share their Connect Rx reports directly with you and you can join a regional community of practice to improve your local social prescribing programs! To get started click here.

If you are a community organization, you can register with the Connect Rx platform to allow social prescribers to begin referring patients to your services! To get started, click here!