HoosierHelp.org to connect southern Indiana residents with critical social services

The IU School of Public Health-Bloomington and the Center for Rural Engagement are helping southern Indiana residents connect to the services they need to live healthier lives in partnership with FindHelp.org, a comprehensive networking resource for social care systems.

Together with community leaders, this I-HOPE project team is curating a regional resource for residents by engaging southern Indiana program representatives with the system. Because many organizations serve people in multiple counties, this service supports a regional strategy to build awareness, operational collaboration, and technical capability amongst community leaders in southern Indiana that fits residents’ needs, because many organizations serve people in multiple counties. 

HoosierHelp.org is a way to help people with dignity and ease,” said project lead Priscilla Barnes, associate professor at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. This service responds to concerns heard during local community health improvement planning sessions that people didn’t know where to go for help. Data from FindHelp.org will assist the team in identifying the resources that community members are utilizing and the gaps in services they may encounter.

Using this service, local organizations can update their own information to make sure it is always current and accessible. In addition, organizations can use the free suite of referral and data tools to increase their operational and reporting capacity. There are several upcoming training sessions to help organizations in Daviess, Greene, Jackson, and Martin counties make the most of HoosierHelp.org; contact Kathleen Sobiech, health projects liaison at the Center for Rural Engagement, at ksobiech@iu.edu for more information about these sessions.

The Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington offers top-ranked academic programs that prepare students for challenging careers preventing disease and promoting wellness in communities everywhere. Unique in the nation, its multidisciplinary programs, history of engagement, and emerging strengths bring new energy to the traditional concept of a school of public health. Its innovative research is grounded in rigor, reproducibility and transparency. With nearly 3,000 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 150 faculty in five departments, its faculty and students conduct research, learn, teach and engage across the spectrum of health and quality of life.