Conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play — things like housing instability, access to healthy foods, and community violence — significantly affect their health risks and outcomes. Hospitals recognize and work hard to address these conditions, often referred to as the social and environmental determinants of health, with a focus on eliminating disparities in care delivery and health outcomes. The community care programs offered by hospitals and their partners, however, may only scratch the surface of deeper social factors that affect individual health outcomes. More focused state and federal policies will be required if progress is to be made in mitigating people’s health care risks before they become critical care needs.
About Community Care
Innovating patient menus with farm-to-fork taste
Hospital food is known for being bland and uninspired, but one chef is throwing out that tired recipe. Meet the chef who’s transforming hospital food. He’s buying local to bring patients, staff, and hospital visitors farm-to-fork tastes.
Cherished Futures: what lies ahead, part 3
Since 2019, Cherished Futures for Black Moms and Babies has focused on the audacious goal of eliminating maternal and infant health inequities in Los Angeles County. Now these bold plans are gaining momentum.
UC Davis Health goes beyond hospital walls to vaccinate community
Without the help of university students, thousands of Sacramento’s most vulnerable residents might not have gotten COVID-19 vaccines. The University of California, Davis School of Medicine provided the workforce while UC Davis Health provided support.
John Muir Health takes test inventories to a new level
Hospitals went above and beyond to care for those in need during the global COVID-19 pandemic — but not every role gets the credit it deserves. At John Muir Health, a comprehensive approach to test processing and materials in the laboratory helped to speed diagnosis and save lives.
Getting ER patients the support, drug treatment they need
Substance Use Navigators support emergency room patients with substance use disorders, which includes sharing safer drug use techniques, connecting patients with drug treatment programs, and serving as a liaison between patients and the treatment team.
Tenet Health Brings TeleER to the Central Coast
Hospitals went above and beyond to care for those in need during the global COVID-19 pandemic — even reaching outside their four walls. At Tenet Health Central Coast, an innovative new TeleER program meant patients were tended to without setting foot in the hospital.
The Dizzying Road to Mental Health Care
In California, 1.4 million people live with a serious mental illness, while millions more struggle with day-to-day mental health challenges. However, most don’t get the care and treatment they need.
HRSA Announces Availability of Grants for Health Center Construction and Renovation
The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) recently announced the availability of $1 billion in funding available for health centers appropriated by the American Rescue Plan (ARP). To be eligible, an organization must be an existing health center receiving Health Center Program operational support under sections 330(e), (g), (h), and/or (i) of the Public Health Service Act at the time of application […]
OSHPD Guidance Available for Hospital Supplier Diversity Reports Due on July 1
The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) recently posted guidance and suggested templates for hospitals, which must annually submit a report to the office on their minority, women, LGBT, and disabled veteran business enterprise procurement efforts. The first supplier diversity report is due July 1. Hospitals can request a 30-day extension for reporting and may email their request to [email protected]