Lifting the Veil: How Networks Form, Operate, Struggle, and Succeed

Abstract

Organizational networks have become an increasingly prominent approach to the provision of services for complex, multi-dimensional needs such as behavioral and mental health needs, HIV/AIDS, substance use disorders, and services for people who are unhoused. This model is also taking hold among community-based organizations (CBOs) seeking to work with each other and to contract with health care entities to improve coordination, reduce fragmentation, and increase the efficacious integration of health and social support services for older adults and people with disabilities. There are very few studies that document how networks form, operate, and succeed in these cross-sectoral collaborations. This qualitative study was designed to fill that gap.