EVOLVE, CHRT’s integration framework, featured in American Public Human Services Association journal
Across the United States and around the world, many organizations are attempting to integrate their once siloed health and human services and systems, due to the multiple benefits integration provides. However, many integration efforts have stalled, and some have failed–because the work is challenging and some partners do not fully reflect on the aspects and processes essential to successful integration.
Although integration efforts across the country provide us with rich examples and lessons learned, it is useful to have a framework that describes key steps for integration and guides stakeholders as they embark on this complex process.
The Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT), with funding from the Kresge Foundation, developed an integration framework called EVOLVE–a thought model for the integration of health and human services. CHRT’s framework was published in the American Public Human Services Association’s Policy and Practice magazine.
The EVOLVE integration framework–which covers Environment, Values, Opportunity, Leadership, Validation, and Engagement–describes key factors that must be considered in the development of a well-functioning, sustainable, and integrated health and human services system.
The model is flexible and fluid and can be applied to all levels of planning, from design through implementation. While we strongly recommend assessing the environment first, other sequences can be approached in any order, tailored to the specific needs of integration partners no matter where they are in the integration process.