As part of ongoing population health initiatives at both the State and Federal level, GNYHA member hospitals have undertaken projects to assess and address social determinants of health such as housing and food insecurity. To support these efforts, GNYHA has developed several resources, including the following:
- The Health Information Tool for Empowerment (HITE), a free online directory of community resources located in New York City’s five boroughs and on Long Island. HITE is in the process of expanding its coverage to Westchester and surrounding counties.
- A newly formed Social Determinants of Health Workgroup, which convenes hospital leads who are developing and implementing organizational social determinants of health strategies
- A repository of social determinants of health screening tools to assist members currently developing screening and assessment strategies
- A curriculum and supporting resources to train primary care residents on social determinants of health
- A Social Determinants of Health Learning Series, which provides members with programs on best practices, with a particular focus on effective partnerships with community-based organizations
In addition, GNYHA will participate in a National Quality Forum workgroup on social determinants of health data. The workgroup’s goal is to develop recommendations on incorporating such data into clinical records. GNYHA also provided feedback in response to a request from the US Department of Health and Human Services for information on approaches to improving care for Medicare beneficiaries with social risk factors.
GNYHA will develop more resources in 2019 to support our members in this important area. Please contact Carla Nelson with questions about GNYHA’s social determinants of health resources and related governmental initiatives.