Nonprofits and foundations frequently discuss the idea of capturing comprehensive needs and tracking change over time as individuals receive multiple services across different providers. When done collectively, these shared measurements have the potential to not only demonstrate the individual impact but also to assess whether interventions are advancing equity over time at a population health level.
211 San Diego created and continues to develop the Comprehensive Social Continuum Assessment (CSCA), which was designed as a common language to understand the complexity of social influences on individuals and which serves as a standard measurement tool shared across Community Information Exchange (CIE) network partners. The CSCA helps to capture the impact of an intervention, its value, and its ROI.
To outline the purpose and impact of the CSCA, 211 San Diego co-authored a report with Health Leads called "Keys To Cross-Sector Collaboration: Learning From The Implementation Of A Comprehensive Social Continuum Assessment". This article is a reflection of what the CIE and all of its partners are doing locally and offers other communities the information they need to replicate it nationally. Read the report here.
