Social Determinants of Health Policy Forum – Nov. 28-30, 2022

Aligning for Health was pleased to partner with RISE on the inaugural Social Determinants of Health Policy Forum, which took place November 28-30, 2022 in Washington, D.C.

The event brought together more than 250 policymakers, policy experts, and practitioners from across the health and social services sectors to engage with government leaders about policies that address the non-medical factors that influence health outcomes and funding opportunities to increase coordination and improve well-being and whole-person care.

The conference kicked off with volunteers helping to pack nearly 16,000 meals with U.S. Hunger on Monday, November 28, which were donated to the Capital Area Food Bank. The first full day of the conference featured keynote remarks from the White House, CDC, and CMS, as well as other industry leaders. Day two featured discussions on federal cross-sector partnerships with officials from HHS, HUD, CMS, FCC, and USDA and on partnerships with health and social service providers with speakers from ONC, ACL, and the Gravity Project. We rounded out the conference hearing about insights from the Congressional SDoH Caucus and the latest national legislation related to SDoH from congressional staffers. Read on below to view the final agenda with all the incredible speakers from throughout the conference, and to read key takeaways from this impactful event!

Final Agenda
Day 1 Recap
Day 2 Recap

November 28, 2022

November 29, 2022

November 30, 2022

2023-09-14T22:09:13+00:00October 5th, 2022|Events, SDOH Policy Forum|

Congressional SDOH Caucus – Briefing on Addressing Food Insecurity & Nutrition as a SDOH

On July 13, 2022, the Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus held a briefing to highlight the drivers and health impacts of food insecurity, highlight best practices in helping to connect individuals with access to healthy food, and explore potential policy approaches to alleviate the impact of food insecurity.

The webinar featured remarks from Caucus Members Reps. Cheri Bustos (D-IL)Tom Cole (R-OK)G. K. Butterfield (D-NC), and Jim McGovern (D-MA). Rep. McGovern spoke about the upcoming White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health which is set to take place this September. Additional details on the Conference and how to get involved can be found here. The webinar was moderated by Aligning for Health Co-Chair Krista Drobac, and featured remarks from panelists across the health and social services sectors on best practices and models around food as an SDOH, as well as their recommendations for what Congress and the Administration can do to address this issue to improve health outcomes.

Guest panelists included:

Panelist bios can be found here. The slides used in the briefing can be found here, and the recording of the briefing can be found here.

Webinar Recording
Caucus Website

2022-11-17T20:03:25+00:00July 13th, 2022|Events, Press|

Congressional SDOH Caucus – Briefing on Expanding Access to Transportation to Advance Health

On October 21, 2021, the Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus held its first briefing event to highlight best practices and innovative models related to transportation as a social determinant of health.

The webinar featured remarks from Caucus Members Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Salud Carbajal (D-CA). Aligning for Health Co-Chair Krista Drobac moderated the event. The briefing also featured remarks from panelists from across sectors on best practices and models around transportation that are working to address social needs, what is needed to enhance or replicate those models, and what Congress can do to accelerate this work and address transportation barriers to improve health outcomes for all.

Guest Panelists included:

  • Jeffrey Nelson, Chair, American Public Transportation Association, and CEO/Managing Director, Rock Island County Mass Transit District, Moline, IL
  • Edward P. Ehlinger, MD, MSPH, Past President of ASTHO and former Minnesota State Health Commissioner
  • Nebeyou Abebe, Senior Vice President of Social Determinants of Health, Highmark Health
  • Kathy Chan, Director of Policy, Cook County Health
  • Krista Drobac, Co-Chair, Aligning for Health (moderator)

A recording of the webinar can be found here.

Webinar Recording
Caucus Website

2022-11-17T20:00:04+00:00October 21st, 2021|Events, Press|

Launch of the Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus – Webinar Recording

On July 21, Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Tom Cole (R-OK), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) held a public webinar to launch the bipartisan Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus.

Aligning for Health is proud to support the bipartisan Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus. The webinar featured remarks from the bipartisan caucus co-chairs, Representatives Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Tom Cole (R-OK), G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), along with panel remarks from the following experts on the value this caucus will bring to addressing SDOH from the health and community-based organization perspective:

  • Kevin Washington, President and CEO, YMCA of the USA
  • Karin VanZant, Vice President, National Social Determinants of Health Strategy, CareSource
  • Krista Drobac, Co-Chair, Aligning for Health (moderator)
Webinar Recording
Caucus Website

The Congressional Social Determinants of Health Caucus will bring together Members of Congress from disparate jurisdictions to highlight opportunities for coordination across federal investments in health, public health, food, housing, transportation, and other important drivers of health.

Caucus members are requesting comments from stakeholders through September 21 on challenges and opportunities related to social determinants of health. 

2022-10-03T17:19:59+00:00July 22nd, 2021|Events, Press|

Introduction of the LINC to Address Social Needs Act – Webinar Recording

Recorded on February 25, 2021

Introduction of the LINC to Address Social Needs Act Slides

Aligning for Health is proud to support the Leveraging Integrated Networks in Communities (LINC) to Address Social Needs Act of 2021, soon to be introduced in Congress by Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Chris Murphy (D-CT). Aligning for Health held a webinar to celebrate the launch of this important legislation. The webinar featured remarks from bill sponsors Senators Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), along with panel remarks from the following experts in health equity and social determinants of health:

  • Sue Brogan, Chief Operating Officer & Alaska 2-1-1, United Way of Anchorage
  • Virginia Barnes, Director, Blue Health Initiatives, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas
  • Anne Diamond, President, Bridgeport Hospital and Executive Vice President, Yale New Haven Health System

The LINC to Address Social Needs Act will provide seed funding to States to establish statewide or regional public-private partnerships to better coordinate health care and social services, leveraging local expertise and technology to overcome longstanding challenges in linking people to health, food, housing, child development, job training, and transportation supports and services.

Endorse LINC Here

Resources on the LINC to Address Social Needs Act

For more information on the LINC to Address Social Needs Act, contact Aligning for Health at info@aligningforhealth.org.

2022-10-03T17:20:36+00:00February 26th, 2021|Events, Uncategorized|

Social Determinants of Health Congressional Briefing

Recorded on December 15, 2020
Social Determinants of Health  Briefing Slides

 

Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and Aligning for Health co-hosted a virtual congressional briefing on December 15, 2020. The virtual briefing featured current Congressional staffers who highlighted opportunities in the 117th Congress to support effective and innovative approaches to Social Determinants of Health (SDOHs).

SDOHs are the social and economic conditions – such as those in transportation, housing, employment, food security, and education – that influence individual and community health. SDOHs are receiving increased attention from insurance companies, hospitals, healthcare systems, and governmental agencies interested in health outcomes and controlling costs. Now more than ever, centering cross-sector, public health strategies and funding can build strong foundations for effective, long-term solutions to improve health and potentially drive down health care costs. Some recent legislation that addresses some of these issues include the Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2019 (H.R. 4004/ S. 2986) and the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020 (H.R. 6561/S. 4440)

Resources
Moderator
Speakers
  • Kristin Flukey, Legislative Assistant, Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA-05)
  • Shane Hand, Legislative Assistant, Rep. Tom Cole, (R-OK-04)
  • Joshua Izaak, Legislative Director, Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-CA-44)
  • Kripa Sreepada, Health Policy Advisor, Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN)
  • Liam Steadman, Senior Policy Advisor, Rep. Cheri Bustos (D-IL-17)

For more information on the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act, contact Daphne Delgado, ddelgado@tfah.org. For more information on the Social Determinants Accelerator Act, contact Melissa Quick MQuick@AligningForHealth.org.

2022-10-03T17:21:04+00:00December 16th, 2020|Events, Uncategorized|

Co-Chair Melissa Quick Speaks at Brookings Institution Town Hall on the Implications of the Election for Progress on Addressing Social Determinants of Health

As part of the Building Healthy Neighborhoods project at Brookings, this webinar assesses how the results of the 2020 election might impact efforts to advance SDOH. Our panelists provide their views and expertise to respond to questions. Co-Chair of Aligning for Health Melissa Quick was a panelist at the town hall, discussing how Congress has approached addressing social determinants and how the new Congress and Administration may address social determinants and health disparities in 2021.

2022-10-03T17:21:21+00:00November 20th, 2020|Events, Uncategorized|

Aligning for Social and Health Needs in the Community

Aligning for Health and the American Hospital Association are pleased to host a webinar exploring how three leading health systems have worked to improve community health and to address health and social needs. In this webinar, you will learn about innovations and best practices, the impact of COVID-19, and the outlook moving forward. The slides from the webinar are posted here, and a full video of the webinar is featured below.

Additional responses to participant questions that were not answered live can be found here.

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2022-10-03T17:21:47+00:00September 25th, 2020|Events, Uncategorized|

Addressing Health and Social Needs through Value-Based Care Webinar

Aligning for Health is pleased to host a webinar on the intersection of health and social needs through value-based care. During this webinar, you will hear from leading health care organizations about how they are designing and leveraging value-based care arrangements to better address health and social needs among beneficiaries.

Our speakers will discuss the incentives that value-based care provides to address social needs as well as the challenges of implementing and scaling these arrangements.

Speakers:

  • Laura Sankey, Vice President, Product Strategy & Social Determinants of Health, Centene Corporation
  • Ray Prushnok, Executive Director, UPMC Center for Social Impact, Associate Vice President for Government Programs UPMC Health Plan
  • Dan Lavallee, Director, Social Impact, UPMC Health Plan
  • Jamo Rubin, Strategic Advisor, Signify Health

The slides from the webinar can be found here.

2022-10-03T17:22:17+00:00August 26th, 2020|Events, Uncategorized|

Connecting Health and Social Needs in New York During the Pandemic Webinar Recording

Yesterday, Aligning for Health held a webinar on connecting health and social needs in New York during the COVID-19 pandemic, featuring speakers from Unite Us, Fidelis Care and Alliance for Better Health. Watch the full webinar below and click here for the slides:

2022-10-03T17:22:35+00:00June 26th, 2020|Events, Uncategorized|
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