Duke University Hospital Emergency Department

Beginning in 2021, Duke University Help Desk partnered with Duke Main Hospital’s Emergency Department. In the department’s waiting room, volunteers connect patients with unmet health-related social needs with community-based organizations via the NCCARE360 platform. Since the advent of our partnership, over 4000 patients have been approached and more than 500 patients have been enrolled in our program.

Emergency Department’s Team:
  • Dr. John Purakal, Assistant Professor of Surgery

Lincoln Community Health Center (LCHC)

Since 2018, Duke University Help Desk has partnered with the Lincoln Community Health Center, a federally qualified health center (FQHC), located in Durham, NC. Help Desk receives PRAPARE forms completed by LCHC patients at registration to assess their unmet social needs and refer them to needed community resources. Student volunteers for the Help Desk also make follow-up calls with the patients to ensure connection.

For more information, visit their website: https://lincolnchc.org (https://lincolnchc.org/) or refer to the Help Desk model.

Lincoln’s Team:
  • Dr. Kristin Ito, Chief Medical Officer
  • Dr. Howard Eisenson, Chief Medical Officer
  • Carolyn Crowder, Director of Behavioral Health
  • Jason Polanco, Behavioral Health LCSW
 Past collaborators:
  • Dr. Emily Esmaili, Pediatrician
  • Candace Bonner, Case Manager
  • Diana Marroquin, Case Manager
  • Nekoba Mutima, Case Manager
  • D’Nicole Tangen, Case Manager

Duke Endocrinology

Duke University Help Desk has partnered with Duke’s Endocrine departments in South Durham and Brier Creek since 2022. Help Desk volunteers receive social screening forms completed by patients and provide referrals to needed community resources through the NCCare360 platform. Volunteers also continue to follow-up with patients to establish meaningful connections and ensure needs are met.

ENDOCRINE’s Team:
  • Dr. Susan Spratt, Associate Professor of Medicine

Bass Connections

Help Desk operations and outputs are developed in partnership with Bass Connections, a research program at Duke University designed to engage undergraduates, faculty, and graduates/professionals in interdisciplinary and team-based research. Help Desk is offered as a project team under Bass Connections’ Global Health theme and team members join via an annual application process. Members of Help Desk Bass project teams serve as the executive leadership for the Help Desk program and overlook its volunteer cohort.

Visit the following websites for more information on Help Desk Bass Connection Projects:

For more information regarding Duke’s Bass Connections program, please visit their website:
https://bassconnections.duke.edu