Maura
Access to Quality Health Care
Healthy People 2030 is the fifth iterative of a 40+ year initiative to help communities, organizations, and individuals improve American’s health and well-being. One of the key goals of Healthy People 2030 is to highlight the importance of the 5 Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) in increasing equity and reducing disparities in health; one of the five goals of Healthy People 2030 is directly related to the SDoH to “create social, physical, and economic environments that promote attaining the full potential for health and well-being for all” (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
The SDoH are the non-medical factors and environmental conditions where people are born, live, learn, work, play, and age. The SDoH influence up to 55% of our health outcomes including a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
One of the five SDoH is access to quality healthcare; many Americans do not have access to health care services. 1 in 10 people in the United States don’t have health insurance, and without health insurance, people are less likely to be able to afford necessary healthcare services and medications for treatment for chronic illnesses and preventative care such as cancer screenings and immunizations. Many people do not have a primary care provider to manage their health throughout their life, including continuity of care, early detection of serious health issues, disease prevention, health maintenance, and even time and cost savings. Further some people may live too far from healthcare providers to access them. Interventions to increase access to timely, high-quality healthcare services can help address these short and long-term health concerns. Paragraph describing neighborhood and built environment goes here.
In this episode, talk to and toast Maura, who is increasing access to health care through advocating for kids with special needs and creating the Minnesota Vaccine Hunters group that helped thousands of people get connected with vaccines.
Episode Resources:
US Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2030: SDoH
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Social Determinants of Health
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