Elizabeth Datner, MD
Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Einstein Healthcare Network

Merle Carter, MD
Vice Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine
Einstein Healthcare Network

Health-related social needs are rooted the structural determinants of health—the socioeconomic, political, and environmental context at regional and national levels. To create change, more than 500 hospitals promoted voting through Vot-ERs, Patient Voting, Med Out The Vote, VoteHealth2020, and similar hospital-based voter access resources.

This session presents the rationale behind hospitals as centers of civic engagement and how voting improves health outcomes through self-advocacy. Speakers will highlight their experience of hospital-based voter registration efforts and share Vot-ERs resources.

Stacy Ignoffo, MSW
Director of Community Health Innovations
Sinai Urban Health Institute

Vidya Ayyr, MPH
Director of Community Social Impact
Parkland Health & Hospital System

Community health workers (CHWs) are on the front lines of care, serving as critical liaisons between patients and health care providers. They assist with access to care, health literacy, and delivery of services that address the social determinants of health, bridging gaps among communities, individuals, and providers through grassroots outreach and education.

In this session, learn about an innovative CHW program at Sinai Urban Health Institute, in Chicago, to address patient needs related to COVID-19. This innovative partnership integrates CHWs into pandemic response to link patients to community resources, help patients understand discharge paperwork and instructions, and set up virtual health appointments.

Participants also will review a Parkland Health & Hospital System framework for developing a successful CHW training program, combining clinical and nonclinical education. Developing such a program requires system investment, a coordinated approach to internal stakeholder engagement, and CHW involvement.

Susan Fuehrer, MBA
President, Institute for H.O.P.E.
The MetroHealth System

James Misak, MD
Medical Director
The MetroHealth System

In 2019, the Institute for H.O.P.E. at The MetroHealth System, in Cleveland, implemented a social determinants of health (SDOH) screening and referral strategy to identify and mitigate barriers to optimal health for underserved people. This session will examine predominant, urgent social needs and the importance and process of building partnerships between health care and social service organizations. Additionally, the presenters will discuss implementation, outcomes, and ongoing evaluation of the SDOH screening and partnerships, as well as next steps.