Funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented by Jhpiego in partnership with ICRHK and the County Government of Makueni, the Network of Care (NoC) Project aimed to assess how establishing a NoC could strengthen relationships and collaboration among health facilities in Makueni County. The project also evaluated the acceptability and feasibility of integrating the NoC model within the existing county and sub-county health care and referral systems. Guided by an implementation research approach, the study applied the NoC Framework’s four pillars: Agreement and Enabling Environment, Operational Standards, Quality, Efficiency and Responsibility, and Learning and Adaptation to test what network elements most effectively improved coordination and communication within the health system.

Impact
Through this initiative, ICRHK and partners:

• Fostered stronger linkages and communication among health facilities in Makueni County.
• Improved collaboration across different levels of care, enhancing referral efficiency and continuity of maternal and newborn health services.
• Generated implementation evidence informing county and national strategies for integrated health networks.