Like so many other industries, the human services sector is in the midst of a massive staffing crisis. Our customers report that 20-40% of staff positions are vacant, while caseworkers battle through an all-time high need for services.
In this industry, a staffing crisis doesn’t mean reduced restaurant hours or a longer line at the store. It’s the difference between people putting food on the table, finding a bed for the night, getting mental health care, and accessing potentially lifesaving services — or not.
“Our customers are facing extreme pressure to meet the demands for their services, while in the midst of a devastating staffing crisis,” says Radicle Health Group CEO, Tyler Hoffman, “They are looking for us to support them in new ways, and Radicle Apps is our response.”
Addressing the staffing crisis with Radicle Apps
Today, Radicle Health comprises three platforms focused on different sectors of human services: Foothold Technology, KCare, and Link2Feed. Radicle Apps is a suite of platform-agnostic software and services that supercharges the value of these platforms for our customers.
“Think of it like an App Store for Radicle Health customers,” says Radicle Apps President, Emily Branton. “Customers can add on the software and services they need to help solve their biggest challenges. We designed Radicle Apps to enhance — not replace — the functionality of our platform products. We envision Radicle Apps encompassing both software and services that complement our platforms; for example, tools that help our customers improve employee and client happiness, reduce manual work, increase revenue, and reduce costs.”
On average, caseworkers spend between 60-80% of their time on administrative tasks, and this time-consuming work is the most common challenge for customers across Radicle Health. So, our first area of focus with Radicle Apps is to help automate those routine tasks that take up the majority of our customers’ time.
Meet Sara, Radicle Apps’ first company
We are launching Radicle Apps with the acquisition of Sara, a digital assistant for case managers.
Sara can complete direct client communication by text, including surveys and follow ups, and automatically stores the interaction in an agency’s existing platform technology, whether it’s an Electronic Health Record (EHR), a Case Management System (CMS) a Client Relationship Management System (CRM), or any other system of record. It also manages electronic signatures and has HIPAA compliant remote video conferencing.
“Sara is essentially a caseworker’s assistant that loves administrative work, takes thorough case notes, has no capacity limitations, is impeccably trained and is available for clients 24/7,” says Branton. “Customers across Radicle Health are looking for innovative ways to manage paperwork and follow-ups without adding additional staff, and that’s exactly what Sara does. Sara is the ideal extension to any human services organization’s existing technology stack.”
Sara is already solving this problem for many other human services organizations, including Vocational Rehabilitation Centers and The Veterans Administration (VA), making it the perfect launching point for Radicle Apps. In the state of Nevada, Sara is doing the work of an additional 65 full-time employees for a fraction of the cost, which enables case managers to serve a larger caseload and with greater attention given to each individual client.
We’ll continue to run Sara as a standalone product for existing and new customers and our hope is to begin offering Sara as an add-on to our platforms in the not too distant future. As we continue to engage with customers to understand their most pressing needs, we’ll also be exploring other M&A opportunities to continue to build out the Radicle Apps suite of products and services.
