Social Determinants of Population Health In Your Community

My community to be discuss is Fargo North Dakota

The health care administrator is often seen as a pillar of the community. Therefore, it is essential that an administrator be knowledgeable about the infrastructure of the community he or she serves. According to the American College of Healthcare Executives’ (ACHE) Code of Ethics, the health care administrator has a responsibility to the community and society to:

Work to identify and meet the health care needs of the community

Work to support access to health care services for all people

Encourage and participate in public dialogue on health care policy issues and advocate solutions that will improve health status and promote quality health care

Apply short- and long-term assessments to management decisions affecting both community and society

Provide prospective patients and others with adequate and accurate information, enabling them to make enlightened decisions regarding services (American College, 2014)

Based on ACHE’s Code of Ethics, health care administrators consider the impact of the social determinants of health on their communities as they plan initiatives, programs, and policies for their targeted population.

For this Discussion, consider your local community. Select one social determinant of health that you believe applies to your local community and discuss how it affects population health.

Postan analysis of the implications of this social determinant on population health outcomes. Then, describe how your selected social determinant of population health influences and shapes the present condition and the future course of your community.

You can use this information plus other quality source to do this assignment

Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all.

Overview

Health starts in our homes, schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, and communities. We know that taking care of ourselves by eating well and staying active, not smoking, getting the recommended immunizations and screening tests, and seeing a doctor when we are sick all influence our health. Our health is also determined in part by access to social and economic opportunities; the resources and supports available in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities; the quality of our schooling; the safety of our workplaces; the cleanliness of our water, food, and air; and the nature of our social interactions and relationships. The conditions in which we live explain in part why some Americans are healthier than others and why Americans more generally are not as healthy as they could be.

Healthy People 2020 highlights the importance of addressing the social determinants of health by including “Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all” as one of the four overarching goals for the decade.1This emphasis is shared by the World Health Organization, whose Commission on Social Determinants of Health in 2008 published the report,Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health.2The emphasis is also shared by other U.S. health initiatives such as the National Partnership for Action to End Health Disparities3and the National Prevention and Health Promotion Strategy.4

The Social Determinants of Health topic area within Healthy People 2020 is designed to identify ways to create social and physical environments that promote good health for all. All Americans deserve an equal opportunity to make the choices that lead to good health. But to ensure that all Americans have that opportunity, advances are needed not only in health care but also in fields such as education, childcare, housing, business, law, media, community planning, transportation, and agriculture. Making these advances involves working together to:

· Explore how programs, practices, and policies in these areas affect the health of individuals, families, and communities.

· Establish common goals, complementary roles, and ongoing constructive relationships between the health sector and these areas.

· Maximize opportunities for collaboration among Federal-, state-, and local-level partners related to social determinants of health.

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Understanding Social Determinants of Health

Social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. Conditions (e.g., social, economic, and physical) in these various environments and settings (e.g., school, church, workplace, and neighborhood) have been referred to as “place.”5In addition to the more material attributes of “place,” the patterns of social engagement and sense of security and well-being are also affected by where people live. Resources that enhance quality of life can have a significant influence on population health outcomes. Examples of these resources include safe and affordable housing, access to education, public safety, availability of healthy foods, local emergency/health services, and environments free of life-threatening toxins.

Learn More

CDC Social Determinants of Health

Secretary's Advisory Committee Social Determinants of Health Report

MAP-IT Toolkit

MAP-IT SDOH

Understanding the relationship between how population groups experience “place” and the impact of “place” on health is fundamental to the social determinants of health—including both social and physical determinants.

Examples ofsocial determinantsinclude:

· Availability of resources to meet daily needs (e.g., safe housing and local food markets)

· Access to educational, economic, and job opportunities

· Access to health care services

· Quality of education and job training

· Availability of community-based resources in support of community living and opportunities for recreational and leisure-time activities

· Transportation options

· Public safety

· Social support

· Social norms and attitudes (e.g., discrimination, racism, and distrust of government)

· Exposure to crime, violence, and social disorder (e.g., presence of trash and lack of cooperation in a community)

· Socioeconomic conditions (e.g., concentrated poverty and the stressful conditions that accompany it)

· Residential segregation

· Language/Literacy

· Access to mass media and emerging technologies (e.g., cell phones, the Internet, and social media)

· Culture

Examples ofphysical determinantsinclude:

· Natural environment, such as green space (e.g., trees and grass) or weather (e.g., climate change)

· Built environment, such as buildings, sidewalks, bike lanes, and roads

· Worksites, schools, and recreational settings

· Housing and community design

· Exposure to toxic substances and other physical hazards

· Physical barriers, especially for people with disabilities

· Aesthetic elements (e.g., good lighting, trees, and benches)

By working to establish policies that positively influence social and economic conditions and those that support changes in individual behavior, we can improve health for large numbers of people in ways that can be sustained over time. Improving the conditions in which we live, learn, work, and play and the quality of our relationships will create a healthier population, society, and workforce.