Health care systems are paying increased attention to social factors, such as access to stable housing, reliable transportation, and nutritious food. These upstream social conditions help shape people’s health because they affect both the delivery and the outcomes of health care. How can services that address social needs be integrated into clinical care? What kind of infrastructure will be needed to facilitate that integration? To begin answering such questions, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine assembled an expert committee to examine the potential for integrating social care services into the delivery of health care with the ultimate goal of achieving better and more equitable health outcomes. The resulting report, Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation’s Health, identifies and assesses current and emerging approaches and recommends ways to expand and optimize social care in the health care setting.
Integrating Social Care into the Delivery of Health Care: Moving Upstream to Improve the Nation’s Health
Source: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine