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Youville Centre
The Challenge
Youville Centre is a nurse managed, community-based health resource for individuals and families in the Winnipeg communities of St. Vital and St. Boniface. Because Youville Centre works on behalf of its clients with a large number of public and private sector groups such as medical services, schools, churches, businesses, government agencies and community associations, it needed a better way to manage and coordinate information from these various groups. Youville’s existing system used three separate databases to manage personal contacts, family health contacts, volunteer work as well as community and agency events. These databases were not reliable and data integrity was a concern. Most importantly, the data collected was not easily available in reports that Youville staff could use to support funding requirements and assess community health needs. Additionally, its existing system inaccurately registered the number of people served by the Centre; important because the number of individuals serviced is a critical part of the centre’s funding formula.
The Solution
First, IDfusion undertook a rigid evaluation of Youville’s existing infrastructure and organizational processes. The evaluation identified an opportunity to reuse interfaces from its existing databases and, thus, reduce the project’s overall cost and time of completion. IDfusion then consolidated the functions of the three separate databases into one easy to manage application. We also developed a custom desktop application that enabled up to 30 Youville staff to efficiently manage all information integral to the organization. Final, IDfusion provided in-house training and support to Youville’s staff to allow them to use the new system to its fullest potential.
The Results
Youville’s staff can now manage client and community resource information more efficiently. It is also much easier for Youville’s staff to generate funding reports on community health needs and support requirements, as these reports are now done electronically rather than manually. To maximize Youville’s investment, we trained its staff to design new reports & modify them on their own. Youville reports that it recouped its investment in the new application within the first 16 months through savings in staff time & resources.
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