Shared Responsibility – Safety net planning (which ensures that people who do not have access to traditional health insurance options are still able to access health care) incorporates the expectation that every individual, organization, and sector of the community that has a stake in the issue of improving the health of low-income persons will contribute proportionately to safety net development and maintenance.

Mosaic Approach – The DuPage Safety Net Plan for Health and Human Services presupposes the continuation of multiple programs, models, and organizations addressing the issue of health care and human services to at-risk populations. It expressly does not embody a “one size fits all” philosophy, nor does it seek to develop a centralized management structure.

System Focus – Planning efforts recognize the fragmentation of the mainstream health and human service system and resultant harm on efforts to optimize services access for all persons. Specifically, it recognizes historic lack of coordination between the public health system, the medical system, human services, and other community organizations. Accordingly, DuPage Safety Net Planning places heavy emphasis on coordination of effort, non-duplication of services, inter-organization cooperation, and, where appropriate, functional integration. It encourages each partner organization to do what it does best, while emphasizing synergy in the design of how the various components interact with each other.

Strategic Asset Focus – The DuPage Safety Net Plan for Health and Human Services places particular emphasis upon serving those segments of the Target Population for whom greatest gaps between need and available services can be demonstrated. Additionally, our plan places proportionally greater emphasis on community assets vs. deficits. Asset focus taps into full community potential instead of fixating on its limitations.

Demonstrable Accountability –Each strategy within this Safety Net Plan identifies accountable organizations overseeing strategic effort and specific measurable key indicators demonstrating progress against goals and targets.

Person-Centered Approach – The DuPage Safety Net Plan for Health and Human Services recognizes that commitment to high-quality patient care must under-gird all planning, and that plans must anticipate and mitigate barriers commonly experienced by low income and at-risk persons.

Coordinated, Efficient Use of Technology – The DuPage Safety Net Plan for Health and Human Services endorses the idea that the availability of secure patient information across institutional and business boundaries (with appropriate safeguards) enhances the coordination, efficiency and quality of person-centered care. Further, it seeks to marshal technological innovation where doing so improves safety net services. Priority will be afforded to plans that increase the efficiency and effectiveness of care delivery, support integration of providers across health sectors, and demonstrably support improved health outcomes and/or reduced cost of care.

Orientation toward Evolution – Our plan seeks to anticipate changes in both target population needs and the health care and human services sector, and proactively plans for future as well as current needs. This principle applies to planning for both the system and the individual. Plans are intended to support improved self-sufficiency.

Community Focus, Regional Awareness – As the name implies, this plan and both organizations are primarily focused on safety net services provided within DuPage County. However, given increasing regionalization of both health and human services, our plan also endorses participation in collaborations engaging partners and supporting consumers throughout the greater metropolitan area, and occasionally beyond it.