David Bornstein of The New York Times opens the door to the reality that is Health Leads, training students to provide connections and resources, such as mental health needs and housing improvements, to patients in hospital clinics or health centers throughout the United States, and publicizing the effectiveness of the model at The Dimock Center. Co-Founded by Rebecca Onie in 1996, Health Leads is now integrated into the  Dimock Pediatric and Adolescent Services Department where every family coming in for a pediatric visit completes a questionnaire based on their child’s social, behavioral and school related needs. Based on the questionnaire, doctors will make referrals to the social workers and Health Leads staff.  
Due to this groundbreaking model, “initial data suggests that the program has doubled the time social workers can devote to therapeutic work” at The Dimock Center. Health Leads in collaboration with Dimock staff is helping to connect hundreds of families with resources otherwise not readily available. This innovative model of health care delivery incorporates solutions to keep families healthy. It also enables social workers to maximize their impact on health outcomes.

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http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/28/treating-the-cause-not-the-illness/?emc=eta1