Pooling and Braiding Funds for Health-Related Social Needs: Lessons from Virginia’s Children’s Services Act
Low-income and at-risk populations often need services and supports outside the scope of a single state agency in order to live productive, healthy lives. State health policymakers seeking to combine funding streams to meet health-related social needs could benefit from learning about Virginia’s long-term experience pooling funds to meet the needs of at-risk youth and families through its Children’s Services Act. Building on NASHP’s previous work exploring the braiding and blending of funding streams as a means of meeting health-related social needs, this brief examines lessons from Virginia about the promise and pitfalls of braiding and blending funding across agencies, and explores whether the state’s model could serve as a roadmap for other states seeking to coordinate funding and services for other populations.
For individuals living with complex, often chronic conditions, and their families, palliative care can provide relief from symptoms, improve satisfaction and outcomes, and help address critical mental and spiritual needs during difficult times. Now more than ever, there is growing recognition of the importance of palliative care services for individuals with serious illness, such as advance care planning, pain and symptom management, care coordination, and team-based, multi-disciplinary support. These services can help patients and families cope with the symptoms and stressors of disease, better anticipate and avoid crises, and reduce unnecessary and/or unwanted care. While this model is grounded in evidence that demonstrates improved quality of life, better outcomes, and reduced cost for patients, only a fraction of individuals who could benefit from palliative care receive it. 
