Integrated Human Services System

Submitted By Reedmaster1
Words: 573
Pages: 3

The issue that New York City’s services had to overcome was the lack of coordination between different city agencies, and the inability of easy access to the residence in need of those services. New York is probably the most diverse city in the US, and the need for information available in languages other than English is detrimental to those residents that arrived from other countries. Another challenge was to simplify the application process for the city’s residents. Since those city services are directed towards the population living under or within the poverty line, a new approach to this population had to be found. Accenture took the challenge of integrating and creating collaboration between over 15 different city and federal agencies. Another major challenge the city of New York was facing, is the fact that majority of the populous in need of the city services did not even know about the services available to them. In order to address this and other issues pertaining to the city services, Mayor Bloomberg created the Integrated Human Services System Task Force. The main goal of the task force was to identify how integrating information technology will improve and enhance the delivery of those services, by creating an online resource with a single point of entry for a variety of services (food stamps, Public Health Insurance etc.). With the help of Accenture, New York’s Office of the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services and the Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications were able to deploy an online screening tool for New York’s residents. This online tool allowed residents to find out if they were eligible for any of the city services, and get pertinent information about the application process. Single entry point allowed combining information and determining resident’s eligibility for 35 city and federal services. The services were available through 15 different agencies, and prior to the deployment of the new online tool, each agency operated disparate information systems. The single point of entry also allowed the residents to print application forms for each service after determining their eligibility. As previously stated, New York probably has the most diverse population in the US. The new online single point of entry tool has enabled access to more residents with diverse backgrounds by offering information in Spanish,