Kicking off its annual conference in Arizona, the Strategic Health Information Exchange Collaborative (SHIEC) announced it would be merging with the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement (NRHI) to form a new organization named Civitas Networks for Health.

The new organization will serve as a platform for local nonprofit health collaboratives and health information exchanges to work together on policy goals and improvement efforts. It will offer engagement opportunities and support action at the local, state, and national levels to achieve policy goals for health care quality, cost, and equity through data-driven, collaborative, and transformative strategies. The affiliation comes after a one-year due diligence process that will culminate on October 1, 2021, with the organizational launch of Civitas Networks for Health.