{"id":8847,"date":"2025-05-28T10:00:57","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniteustailstg.wpengine.com\/?post_type=press&p=8847"},"modified":"2025-08-14T10:45:17","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T14:45:17","slug":"study-ohios-benefit-bridge-program-projects-21-million-in-savings-summit-county-partners-with-unite-us-to-deliver-real-results-for-constituents","status":"publish","type":"press","link":"https:\/\/uniteus.com\/press\/summit-county-partners-with-unite-us\/","title":{"rendered":"Study: Ohio\u2019s Benefit Bridge Program Projects $21 Million in Savings, Summit County Partners with Unite Us to Deliver Real Results for Constituents"},"content":{"rendered":"

By streamlining operations to advance coordination and delivery of community-based services, Summit County’s NEXT program is freeing up hundreds of staff hours, boosting efficiency, and paving the way for substantial long-term cost reductions.<\/em><\/h2>\n

NEW YORK, <\/strong>MAY 28, 2025<\/strong> \u2013 A compelling new case study highlights the remarkable success of Summit County, Ohio’s Benefit Bridge program, known as NEXT, an initiative dedicated to supporting working families on their path to self-sufficiency, run by the Department of Job and Family Services (DJFS). The NEXT program’s partnership with Unite Us, the nation’s trusted technology partner for integrating health and community-based care, has proven instrumental in achieving this success.<\/p>\n

Using Unite Us\u2019 platform, the department has implemented strategic operational improvements projected to deliver significant financial benefits for Summit County, including up to $21 million in projected taxpayer savings over the next decade. It also demonstrates the potential to generate up to $6.8 million in additional lifetime tax revenue for the State of Ohio for each annual Summit County cohort served. With 88 counties in Ohio, this program represents a major potential source of added tax revenue if scaled across additional counties.<\/p>\n

County Executive Ilene Shapiro and Summit County DJFS launched the NEXT program to support working families as they increase their wages and transition off public assistance. Recognizing the challenges of coordinating services and managing data across multiple partners through manual processes like phone calls, emails, and spreadsheets, the county implemented Unite Us\u2019 platform in August 2023.<\/p>\n

The results have been transformative. Having a secure, centralized system for client data sharing, closed-loop referrals, invoice tracking, payment distribution, and detailed reporting, the department has directly addressed previous inefficiencies that resulted in delays of critical assistance to program recipients and distributed nearly $200K to community organizations for delivering services to participants. It has also empowered the staff, demonstrably reducing staff administrative burdens to free up nearly 600 hours of valuable work time. Surveys reveal reductions in stress related to documentation and a marked increase in confidence in connecting clients to vital resources through transparency and accountability. This newfound efficiency translates to a greater capacity to serve more individuals more effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cUnite Us offered a solution for online collaboration among agencies, allowing them to share client data and track outcomes,\u201d said Terri Burns, director, SCDJFS.\u00a0 \u201cIt also provided a platform and process for us to easily determine incentive structures and payment amounts to assist and pay our clients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Key findings from the case study underscore the impressive gains in efficiency and cost savings:<\/strong><\/p>\n