Social Determinants Updates |
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January 25, 2024
Welcome to Aligning for Health's bi-weekly Social Determinants Updates newsletter.
To add news or events to this newsletter, email ajiwani@aligningforhealth.org.
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New Leadership
AFH is delighted to announce that Aligning for Health has a new Executive Director, Ashley Gray, who brings experience and energy to the cause of addressing social drivers of health.
Ashley has spent her career dedicated to advancing policy in health and human services. She is adept at developing and advancing advocacy strategies and building relationships across silos.
Check out her incredible experience at Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, MITRE, and Medicaid Health Plans of America.
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Member News
findhelp: Shapiro Administration Launches PA Navigate, A New Online Tool to Better Connect Pennsylvanians with Food, Housing, Childcare and More (01/23) - PA Navigate is an online tool that connects Pennsylvanians with community-based organizations, county and state agencies, and healthcare providers, for referrals to community resources that help them meet their most basic needs.
findhelp: NYC Health + Hospitals Integrates New Tool into its Electronic Medical Record to Connect Patients to Community Resources (01/17) - The tool includes a social service referral platform and network of more than 7,000 program ranging from food assistance to transportation and shelter.
findhelp: A Year of findhelp Data Tells a Compelling Story (01/14) - In January 2023, Highland Rivers Behavioral Health announced a partnership with findhelp, an online social care platform that allows people to search for area resources by zip code.
Socially Determined: Socially Determined Announces Collaboration with Uber Health to Improve Healthcare Access and Individual Outcomes (01/08) - The partnership between Socially Determined and Uber Health will use an analytics-first approach to vulnerable populations and link them to transportation, pharmacy, and food-based benefits.
UPMC: Toll Connects Members of LGBTQIA+ Community with Specially Trained Providers (01/05) - UPMC Health Plan launched the LGBTQIA+ gender-affirming program. Providers take an online course to understand the health care needs of the community.
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CMS Health Equity Conference
CMS will host its second Health Equity Conference on May 29-30, 2024. This hybrid conference will be held in person at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. The event will be available online for virtual participation.
Proposal submissions for breakout session and poster presenters are open. The theme of this year's conference i sustaining Health Equity Through Action. Submissions will close on February 9, 2024. Registration will open in Spring 2024.
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Administration Updates
CMS: SDoH Infographics and Data on People with Medicare Now Available (01/23) - CMS released a new public use file for 2021, providing data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey on socio-demographic and health characteristics of Medicare beneficiaries living in the community, distinguishing by dual eligibility status.
CMS: New York's Groundbreaking Section 1115 Demonstration Amendment to Improve Primary Care, Behavioral Health, and Health Equity (01/09) - CMS approved an amendment to New York State's Medicaid section 1115 waiver that will work to close longstanding health disparities.
CMS: CMS Issues State Health Official (SHO) Letter: Opportunities in Medicaid to Address Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) (01/07) - CMS has issued guidance, encouraging the adoption of strategies addressing SDoH in Medicaid and CHIP, aiming to improve beneficiary health outcomes, reduce disparities, and lower overall costs by leveraging existing flexibilities under federal law and promoting value-based care arrangements.
CMS: Framework for Health Equity (12/18) - CMS release an updated framework to advance health equity, expand coverage, and improve health outcomes for those individuals supported by CMS programs.
HHS: Data Strategy 2023-2028 (12/14) – The 2023 Data Strategy shares the Department's priorities and initiatives. HHS highlighted the goal to advance its management and use of data to improve human health outcomes. The strategy also includes an expansion of the role of the Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) to include coordination of human services interoperability.
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SDoH & Health Equity in the News
The Milbank Quarterly: Connecting Public Health and Primary Care: The Prevention and Public Health Fund Redux (01/17) - The imbalance in US health spending, with less than 3% allocated to public health, became evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. While states used Medicaid funding to address public health gaps, the article argues for a shift towards utilizing the Affordable Care Act's Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF) to strengthen the connection between primary care and public health, emphasizing the need for collaboration and additional funding to address complex public health challenges. Additionally, primary care practices must have community partners, especially local public health, for population health goals to be achieved in its entirety.
JAMA: Enrollment Patterns of Medicare Advantage Beneficiaries by Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefits (01/12) - The study examined the preferences of Medicare Advantage (MA) beneficiaries regarding dental, vision, and hearing supplemental benefits. It found that racial and ethnic minority individuals, as well as those with lower income and educational attainment, are more likely to enroll in MA plans offering dental or vision benefits.
STAT News: Patients’ Social Needs Often Get Lost in Health Records. Generative AI Could Help (01/11) - The article explored the potential of large language models (LLMs) to extract SDoH data from clinical records and potentially allowing health systems to share information about local resources or pair patients with community health workers. However, these systems need significant development before being implemented to prevent risk of bias. This article also references a recent study in the journal npj Digital Medicine which discussed the effectiveness of fine-tuned LLMs in identifying patients with social risk factors.
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New Research & Reports
Medicaid Innovation Collaborative: MIC Announces Pilot Programs to Improve Health Outcomes for Medicaid Beneficiaries (01/16) - These pilot programs in Iowa, Kentucky, and New Yok will address the health-related social needs of Medicaid beneficiaries living with a chronic condition like insulin-requiring diabetes. The MIC selected tech-enabled solutions in each state that seek to improve the ability of people living with insulin-requiring diabetes through funding from the Helmsley Charitable Trust and Acumen America funding partners.
Medicaid Innovation Collaborative: MIC Announces Pilot Programs to Improve Health Outcomes for Medicaid Beneficiaries (01/16) - These pilot programs in Iowa, Kentucky, and New Yok will address the health-related social needs of Medicaid beneficiaries living with a chronic condition like insulin-requiring diabetes. The MIC selected tech-enabled solutions in each state that seek to improve the ability of people living with insulin-requiring diabetes through funding from the Helmsley Charitable Trust and Acumen America funding partners.
Arkansas Times: Disparities in Arkansas Child Health Persist, Especially for Black Families (01/15) - This article discusses a study by The Annie E. Casey Foundation revealing persistent health disparities for Black children and families in Arkansas. The study analyzed 12 indicators, and Arkansas scored lower for black children compared to white children. Black maternal mortality in the state has also risen by 110% in two decades.
MedRxiv: A Multilevel Intervention to Reduce Chronic disease Risk in Socioeconomically disadvantaged Unemployed Populations: The North Carolina Works 4 Health (NCW4H) Clinical Trial Protocol (01/12) - This is an ongoing trial that aims to develop and assess the effectiveness of a multilevel intervention, including individual level (IL) and employer level (EL) interventions, targeting socioeconomically disadvantaged, unemployed (SEDU) populations who use publicly funded job placement programs. Interventions consist of a chronic disease prevention program adapted from the Diabetes Prevention Program at the IL, and an implicit bias-based supervisor support program for newly hired SEDU adults at the EL.
National Library of Medicine: The Role of Social Determinants of Health in Promoting Health Equality: A Narrative Review (01/05) - This narrative review evaluated the role of health-related social factors in overcoming health disparities. Per the severity of employment, geography, and education, it was implied that better healthcare management and expanded education and work prospects are needed to reduce health inequalities.
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Upcoming Events
Conferences
Other HHS Events
Briefings and Webinars
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SDoH Opportunities
January 2024 - July 2024
- Deadline: January 24, 2024 – NIH, Academic Research Enhancement Award (AREA) Training a Diverse Data Science Workforce for Addiction Research
- Deadline: January 26, 2024 – NIH, Rural Community-Centered Drug Misuse Prevention and Harm Reduction Research: Addressing Implementation, Dissemination, and Equity Challenges across the Continuum of Care
- Deadline: February 12, 2024 – HUD, Section 811 Project Rental Assistance for Persons with Disabilities
- Deadline: Febraury 15, 2024 – HUD, Youth Homelessness System Improvement (YHSI) Grants
- Deadline: March 20, 2024 – HHS ACF, Maternity Group Home Program
- Deadline: June 20 2024 – Administration for Children and Families (ACF), TANF Data Collaborative (TDC) Equity Analysis Awards
- Deadline: July 1, 2024 – NIH, Short Courses in Social Determinants of Health for Research Education in Nursing Research
- Deadline for Cohort 3: July 23, 2024 – CMS, States Advancing All-Payer Health Equity Approaches and Development (AHEAD) Model
- Deadline: August 5, 2024 – NIH, Multi-sectoral preventive interventions that address social determinants of health in populations that experience health disparities
Farther Out & Rolling Basis
- Deadline: March 13, 2026 – NIH, Seeking Products to Address Social Needs impacting Substance Use Disorders
- Deadline: November 5, 2026 – NIH, Health and Health Care Disparities Among Persons Living with Disabilities
- Deadline: December 11, 2026 – NIH, Interventions to Address HIV-Related Comorbidities among Highly Affected Populations Experiencing Health Disparities
- Deadline: January 1, 2027 – NIH, Improving Care and Outcomes for Cancer Survivors from Sexual and Gender Minority (SGM) Populations
- Deadline: January 1, 2027 – NIH, Intervention Research to Improve Native American Health
- Deadline: January 1, 2027 – HRSA, Understanding the Impact of Healthcare System and Clinician Factors on Disparities in Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
- Deadline: Open – HRSA, Request for Nominations: Membership to Serve on the National Advisory Council on Migrant Health
- Deadline: Open – U.S. Breastfeeding Committee, Request for Applications: Creating Space Scholarship
- Deadline: Open - House Committee on Rules, Request for Stories: Experiences, Research, and Solutions to Guide Committee Work in Addressing Hunger
- Deadline: Open - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Open Call for Proposals - Evidence for Action: Innovative Research to Advance Racial Equity
- Deadline: Open - Sepsis Alliance, Pledge for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion In the Fight Against Antimicrobial Resistance, Sepsis and its Underlying Causes
- Deadline: Open - Arnold Ventures Advancing Medicare & Medicaid Integration initiative, Funding Opportunity: Technical Assistance to Advance Medicare and Medicaid Integration for Dual-Eligible Individuals.
- Deadline: Open - Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Evidence for Action: Investigator-Initiated Research to Build a Culture of Health.
- Deadline: Open - American Hospital Association, Hospital Community Collaborative National Cohort Application.
- Deadline: Open - The de Beaumont Foundation and Johns Hopkins University, Stories of Alignment: Share a reflection related to the “Seven Ways Business Can Align with Public Health for Bold Action and Innovation” report
- Deadline: Open – NIH, Notice of Special Interest: Health Care Models for Persons with Multiple Chronic Conditions from Populations that Experience Health Disparities: Advancing Health Care towards Health Equity
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