Social Determinants in the News Patient Engagement HIT: (5/27) – Three pediatric health experts from Johns Hopkins University assert that the US needs to be making more of an investment in addressing social determinants of health experienced in childhood, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Healthcare Dive: (5/27) – COVID-19 has forced nearly half of patients to postpone care, according to a recent survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation; additionally, nearly 25% of respondents said they had skipped a meal, visited a food bank, or applied for SNAP benefits. Becker’s Hospital Review: (5/27) – A poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation shows that 45% of U.S. adults have had their mental health negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Affairs: (5/26) – With COVID-19 highlighting housing disparities and the little public policy taken to address it, the next phase of response will need to feature housing prominently. The article calls for three components of a response: ensure a safe and rapid allocation of housing to those in need of isolation or quarantine, rectify the unsafe conditions in congregate settings like nursing homes and correctional facilities, and address the long-term housing needs of the homeless and marginally housed. PHI: (5/26) – The Public Health Alliance of Southern California has developed their Healthy Places Index to help the allocation of resources to disadvantaged communities, including releasing a new interactive COVID-19 Healthy Places Index Resources Map. Fierce Healthcare: (5/26) – Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is expanding its social determinants program amid COVID-19 after finding success piloting the program in Newark. The program is built on deploying community health workers to meet members with social needs where they are and offer a local approach to meeting those needs. Modern Healthcare: (5/23) – Prior to the pandemic, medical respite-care programs were largely operated by not-for-profits, however amid the pandemic, a growing number of cities and states are adopting similar care models to stem COVID-19’s spear in their homeless populations. Modern Healthcare: (5/23) – The COVID-19 crisis may be an inflection point that will add additional investments and initiatives to meet social needs, as SDOH programs have the potential to quickly address mounting social needs and prevent associated health complications. MedCityNews: (5/22) – The COVID-19 pandemic has made it clear that human intervention coupled with technology is imperative to address social needs both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Health Affairs: (5/22) – During the COVID-19 pandemic, much of the attention has been focused on nursing homes, however this article highlights the need to also mitigate risk in publicly subsidized senior housing communities. Modern Healthcare: (5/22) – Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has called for recommendations from a Minority Health Strike Force he formed to study the effects of the coronavirus on minority populations in Ohio and announced a new top-level health department position called the Deputy Director of Social Determinants of Health and Opportunity. Reuters: (5/22) – A new study found that in 2020, 139 of 3,052 (4.6%) Medicare Advantage plans offered benefits for social needs under the CHRONIC Care Act. The most commonly offered benefit was pest control, followed by produce and meal delivery. MyFox28Columbus: (5/21) – Kroger has begun offering telenutrition services to Ohioans to promote health and affordable eating by connecting people with dietitians who can create personalized support plans and help manage food-related health concerns. The Hill: (5/20) – An op-ed penned by the President and CEO of Community Care Cooperative, a MassHealth ACO, argues that the COVID-19 pandemic is the best time to create cross-sector partnerships that tackle social issues disproportionately affecting the nation’s most vulnerable, like food insecurity. WDET: (5/20) – New research shows that Detroit although was already experiencing widespread housing insecurity, the pandemic has been compounded and worsened the crisis. Feeding America: (5/20) – A new Feeding America study projects that local food insecurity may impact up to 1 in 3 adults and 1 in 2 children during the COVID-19 PHE. The Lancet: (5/18) – The association between social inequalities and COVID-19 morbidity is further compounded by the interplay of social determinants, asthma, and COVID-19, which might help explain the higher risk of COVID-19 morbidity for those with asthma. MassLive: (5/17) – Massachusetts has invested $56 million to combat food insecurity amid coronavirus and to bolster the food supply chain, as recommended by its Food Security Task Force. QNS: (5/14) – A new initiative called ‘Project Parachute’ brings together over 40 owners of market-rate and affordable apartment buildings, nonprofits, and service providers in New York to help New Yorkers stay in their homes. The project was launched with an initial $4 million-dollar investment and seeks to support NYC communities that have been hit disproportionately hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Patient Engagement HIT: (5/14) – New data from the University of Michigan’s National Poll on Healthy Aging found that only one-third of patients who report food security challenges are part of some program mitigating the social determinants of health.
SIREN: (May 2020) – SIREN has put together a crowdsourced spreadsheet that is a compendium of recent news about COVID-19 and health equity.
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