SSM Health has long recognized that, to improve the health of the communities we serve and decrease preventable disease, we will not be successful without focusing on the social determinants of health (SDOH) needs of its patients, families and employees.
Last month, two additional tools were implemented to further address health disparities by screening, assessing, and addressing SDOH needs among patients.
First, SSM Health expanded the standardized, electronic health record-based, SDOH screening tool to its pediatric, neonatal and neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) inpatients.
This screening includes questions on food insecurity, stress, housing instability, interpersonal safety, transportation, and utility payment difficulties.
Secondly, when issues are identified, patients are then referred to community resources through the integrated Unite Us platform.
"If we truly want to give every person the opportunity to fulfill their potential and achieve health equity, then we need to ensure that they have access to resources that impact health," said Dr. Alexander Garza, SSM Health chief community health officer. "We all need to work together to create health in our communities, not simply work to treat disease after the fact."
Unite Us, which supports SSM Health’s access to community-based organizations for patient SDOH support, is expanding to SSM Health’s inpatient acute, behavioral health, OB triage, pediatric, neonatal and NICU service areas, building on the limited United Us June rollout in maternal-health ambulatory sites.
