Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) members often face some of the most complex challenges in healthcare. Living at the intersection of Medicare and Medicaid eligibility, many struggle with chronic conditions, disability, behavioral health needs, housing instability, and limited access to transportation or healthy food. They may also face language barriers, isolation, and difficulty navigating the complicated web of social services and benefits.
In response to these layered challenges, Select Health, a leading health plan serving members in Colorado, Nevada, and Utah, partnered with Activate Care to scale a Community Health Worker (CHW) program aimed at supporting Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) members and other vulnerable populations. Across three states, Activate Care has become a trusted implementation and workforce partner, helping Select Health embed CHWs into its case management teams, navigate community resources, and produce actionable reporting that drives performance improvement and outcomes.
Colorado: Laying the Foundation for a New Market
In July 2023, Select Health launched a Community Health Equity Project (CHEP) with Activate Care in the Denver metro area to prepare for the plan’s entry into the Colorado D-SNP market. This proactive investment in community readiness set the stage for successful market entry and member engagement.
By September 2023, Select Health was awarded a new D-SNP contract, and Activate Care was selected to hire and deploy two CHWs across seven counties in metro Denver. These CHWs officially began working on January 1, 2024, and were embedded within Select Health’s Colorado D-SNP Case Management Team.
As of April 2025, they serve approximately 100 D- SNP members, helping them navigate a complex array of medical, behavioral, and social needs, from Medicaid renewals and appointment scheduling to housing navigation and food assistance.
Nevada: Preparing for Rapid Enrollment Growth
In September 2024, Select Health expanded its partnership with Activate Care to support its new D-SNP program in Clark and Nye counties, Nevada. With enrollment expected to grow to approximately 600 members in 2025, the need for a community- based workforce was urgent.
Activate Care recruited and trained two CHWs to serve as part of the D-SNP support team, starting on January 1, 2024. These CHWs are actively engaging with members to build trust, address social drivers of health, and reduce avoidable utilization.
Utah: Scaling a Unified CHW Workforce Across Lines of Business
In October 2024, Select Health expanded its relationship with Activate Care to unify its community health workforce under a single vendor across its Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, and D-SNP programs in Utah. Activate Care took over an existing contract, successfully rehiring 8 CHWs from the previous vendor and expanding the workforce to 13 CHWs and 1 CHW Supervisor. The Utah team officially launched on January 1, 2025, supporting approximately 2,900 members across 13 counties—including both urban and rural regions like Salt Lake, Davis, Weber, and Washington counties.
The Utah CHWs are integrated directly into Select Health’s Healthy Connections Case Management Team, providing frontline member engagement services and community navigation support. Activate Care staff document alongside Select Health case managers using Select Health’s internal platform, ensuring real-time care coordination and seamless communication.
Data & Reporting: Driving Insights Across States
Across all three states, Activate Care delivers robust reporting through a streamlined data-sharing and analytics process. Select Health provides weekly data feeds to Activate Care, who then produces monthly, quarterly, and annual performance and operational reports. These reports provide insights into member engagement, CHW activity, referral patterns, and social determinants of health trends— allowing Select Health to continuously optimize its programs and better serve its most vulnerable members.
Impact & Results
Together, Select Health and Activate Care are:
- Addressing the social drivers of health—from food and housing to social isolation and transportation.
- Improving health equity by embedding culturally and linguistically competent CHWs with lived experience in the communities they serve.
- Reducing health system strain by proactively engaging members before crises occur. Building trust in populations that have been historically underserved or overlooked.
Looking Ahead
As Select Health continues to grow and evolve, Activate Care remains a strategic partner, ensuring each new market and program is staffed, trained, and supported by a high-quality community workforce. From early program design through full implementation and long-term performance reporting, this partnership is proving that investing in community health can lead to healthier lives and more sustainable care.
Together, Activate Care and Select Health are delivering care that meets people where they are—at home, in the community, and beyond.