Complex Cases

The Well Badger Resource Center is a health information and referral program operated by the WWHF since 2018 in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. It is a one-stop connection to community, social, health and government programs.

Well Badger Is Here for Complex Cases

Maternal and Children Health (MCH) Program Operations Manager, Lauren Lotter, shared a trend they’ve seen in recent years where individual cases are becoming more complex, with a dramatic shift to many needs and referrals. With the pandemic, this is not a surprise.

As the Well Badger team has met the evolving needs of our Wisconsin communities, they’ve developed strategies and tactics on how to handle challenging and complex cases in efficient ways. Staff are finding they need extra time for research and follow-ups for families.

Tapping into technology and integrating it into their daily systems has helped productivity and improved services as the team maximizes their resources and support for each other. Building a channel for additional resource tracking and internal communication is an ongoing development for complicated situations. As the team’s skillset grows, so has their handling of cases – allowing individuals to get access to the resources they need and deserve.

“Having a team of specialists with varying professional backgrounds is a great asset to Well Badger I&R services. They all care deeply about helping people navigate and get connected with services, and they also are so willing to help each other.“
Lauren, MCH Program Operations Manager

I & R Specialist’s Strategies

I & R Specialist Peggy’s strategy for difficult cases is to look at priorities. She identifies an individual’s urgent need and works to address that one and transfers immediately after to the prioritized agency. Then she works through their list, later that day sending additional resources through an email with a follow-up phone call a week later. “We address the first urgent need, but we always follow up with important but not critical issues.”

Greer Nelson, I & R Specialist and MCH Educator for First Breath, said she too follows up with a comprehensive email for all the services the caller might need and how to contact. She follows up multiple times to make sure they were able to connect and get the support they need. Greer said that over time, the team has developed their skills and become more aware of resources and feedback from referrals they have given.

The team meets regularly to prepare as resources in our state change. For example, many federal benefits for covid will continue to disappear this summer. They need to be aware of changing regulations and the impact on needs.

Final Thoughts

Greer shared, “We’re a unique resource, not every state has a resource call center. It’s become obvious to me how valuable this resource is to the people of Wisconsin. It makes me happy to know we really help others.” She realizes someone she cares about could be in a similar situation as anyone calling. “I want people to live the best life they can with the resources they have available.”

For more information on Well Badger or how to connect, check out the links below.