---

The Awhi Ora model is a social program, co-designed by the Tāmaki community and the Auckland District Health Board with primary care and nongovernment organizations (NGOs) partners. The program serves people who experience distress from underlying social and physical challenges and who find it difficult to perform daily tasks or reach their goals. The only eligibility requirement is experiencing some level of distress from these personal challenges. To focus on well-being, the program addresses what matters most to the person and tries to remove barriers to access, such as cost or language. Patients can self-introduce to the program, obviating the need to have a general practitioner (GP). The GP identifies the source of an individual’s distress and the most appropriate supports, whether clinical or social, and introduces people to Awhi Ora when the underlying cause of the distress is social. The GP keeps the clinical responsibilities for patients’ care and the NGOs support access to services. Patients transition out of the program when they meet their goals and map out their next steps but can easily return to the program as needed.        
Source: The Commonwealth Fund: Publications - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Source Type: research