Unite Us, a health-tech company that wants to help connect health systems to services like housing and food with the hope of keeping people healthier and out of the hospital, just raised another $35 million.
Nancy Brown, a partner at venture firm Oak HC/FT, remembers talking with a potential investment about an interesting correlation the company had found in its data: There was a link between a lack of dependable housing and preterm labor. Ultimately, the experience led him and his cofounders to start Unite Us, which builds out networks of social services providers, to connect them to health plans and health systems. Unite Us gets paid by states, health systems, insurers or other clients, and there's no cost to the individuals benefiting from the services.
Here's how it works: Unite Us links up with a client in a state or community that acts as the catalyst. For instance,Unite Us is working with North Carolina's Department of Health and Human Services. From there, Unite Us goes out to connect government agencies and nonprofits that provide housing, employment, food, social work, and other services.