Community Care
At WBD, Community Care is how we collaborate with community organizations and partners to uphold Ely’s social safety net.
WBD accomplishes its mission through a network of programs and collaborations. Community Care represents the collaborations. The WBD mission is to support the wellbeing of the Ely community and its members. How?
- WBD Programs – WBD programs deliver direct support to the community of Ely and its members:
- The Northern Lights Clubhouse delivers community and connection. People with strong community ties are healthier and happier, as per the CDC.
- The Northern Lights Residences supports community member wellbeing by providing stable supportive recovery-oriented housing.
- WBD Collaborations –At WBD, we support community wellbeing through three collaborative efforts:
- Care Facilitation – WBD provides a certified Community Health Worker (CHW), to support community members who are struggling. Our CHW helps people access benefits, interpret public health messages, coordinate getting to appointments and navigate complexity. Our CHW functions as part of a CHW netwrok, along with her counterparts at 3 other organizations in town, who also have CHWs on staff. The CHWs collaborate to provide coordinated Care Facilitation.
- The Ely Community Care Team (CCT) – The CCT is a collaboration of 21-member organization working together since 2011 to support mental health in Ely. WBD supports the Ely Community Care Team (CCT) by contracting with St Louis County to facilitate the CCT meetings, employing the facilitator and serving as staff to the CCT.
- Wellness Funds - The Wellness Funds are a group of funds available to Community members in urgent need. Funds have been used for things like utility bills, back rent or medical expenses in dire circumstances. WBD administers and provides fiscal infrastructure for the Community Care Wellness Funds. CHWs or Executive Directors of CCT member organizations can disperse funds based on availability and eligibility. St Louis County supports a fund restricted to those with specific diagnoses. A general wellness fund relies on donations. You can support the general community care wellness fund here.
Care Facilitation
What is Care Facilitation?
At WBD we are committed to upholding the social safety net. Community Care: Care Facilitation is a one way we do that. Care Facilitation is a service provided by our certified Community Health Worker (CHW).
According to the American Public Health Association, a CHW is a frontline public health worker who has a close understanding of the community served and is a trusted liaison, and link between health care, social services and the community. That description describes our CHW, Laurel Kaercher perfectly. Laurel facilitates access to services and improves the quality and competence of service delivery in different ways big and small every day.
CHWs like Laurel help with:
- interpreting communication received,
- preparing for appointments,
- day-to-day decision making,
- providing direct advocacy with state and local agencies
How do I access Care Facilitation?
Anyone in the community can utilize WBD’s Care Facilitation by working with our CHW. There are no eligibility requirements. CHWs are especially helpful to people who rely on public benefits and/or have chronic health issues and/or who do better with advocates to guide and support success.
If Care Facilitation support from WBD’s CHW sounds like it can help, reach out to Laurel Kaercher at
Community Care Team
WBD: An active partner to the Community Care Team since 2011
The Ely Community Care Team (CCT) was created to identify and address gaps in care in Minnesota’s Northeast Iron Range communities. The partnership of community members and 21 organizations that represent health care, behavioral health, education, social service and non-profit organizations serves the entire population of our remote, rural geographic region with special emphasis on individuals and families in poverty or experiencing mental illness.
The Community Care Team provides collaborative systems and targeted care coordination (through a Care Facilitation network across 4 organizations) to ensure adequate resources are available for physical health, mental health and psychosocial challenges; professionals are trained in recognizing such challenges and are prepared respond to the full spectrum of a person’s needs; and patients have the tools and resources to be a partner in their wellness, treatment and recovery goals.
WBD has been a CCT member since the beginning and today contracts with St Louis County to provide facilitation for the leadership and organization of the CCT.
Wellness Funds
Community Care Wellness Funds support community members’ urgent needs.
A group of funds to support community members’ one-time or short-term expenses that will make a significant, positive impact when they are working with an employee of a Community Care Team member agency. The Wellness Fund is facilitated through a collaboration between the Community Care Team (CCT) and Well Being Development (WBD), the fiscal agent. Wellness fund uses may include medical, non-medical, and quality of life needs.
Goal of the Fund: Provide timely, confidential, support for expenses that will make a positive, significant impact in the receiver’s life.
Objective: These funds are designated for community members who are currently working with a Care Facilitator or an organization that is a member of the Community Care Team and are actively working on wellness goals. These funds are meant to support one-time or short-term expenses that will make a significant, positive impact when all other reasonable options have been explored.
If you have questions about accessing the Wellness Fund contact the