Care Navigation Help Desk: Laura's story

People call Allina’s Care Navigation Help Desk with many different needs and health care situations. Laura, one of our social workers, provides these examples of how she and her colleagues help you navigate the complexities of care:

• A patient who has lung cancer was concerned that his children didn’t understand his health care goals and long-term wishes. The Care Navigation Help Desk arranged for an Advance Care Planning session and involved the patient’s family so everyone would be clear about the patient’s wishes.
• A daughter called the Care Navigation Help Desk because her mom was having trouble remembering to take her medications. The Care Navigator explained that a medication dispensing machine might be helpful and connected the family to a place they could purchase the device.
• A patient who had multiple wounds that were not healing was reluctant to be admitted to a transitional care unit for treatment. The Care Navigator was able to coordinate care with an Allina hospital outpatient wound center and Allina’s home care services so the patient could remain at his home.
• A social worker contacted the Care Navigation Help Desk on behalf of a patient who needed help with housing issues. A licensed care manager did a face to face assessment with the patient and helped connect him to services to complete paperwork, tour housing options, get on some housing waiting lists and prepare him to move in the near future.

Return to Care Navigation Help Desk.