As physicians, you have probably heard catch phrases like, “your zip code matters more than your genetic code,” or “place counts.” You know better than anyone that the reason for this is that poor health outcomes tend to cluster in disadvantaged neighborhoods with high degrees of social inequity.
To help family physicians and their care teams incrementally address social determinants of health (SDOH) in their practices and communities, the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) has created a four-part comprehensive toolkit which includes the phenomenal resource Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Primary Care: A Team-Based Approach for Advancing Health Equity.
This valuable, step-by-step document provides guidance for family physicians and their practice teams to create a culture that values health equity and team-based approaches for addressing SDOH – essential elements of practices that advance health equity.
Resources like this can help ensure that patient care is instinctively made with health equity in mind and provides a plan for addressing SDOH based on your practice’s unique circumstances by clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the entire practice team.
These tools are part of the AAFP’s EveryONE Project, a strategic initiative that is focused on providing their members and their care partners with education and resources, advocating for health equity, promoting workforce diversity, and collaborating with other disciplines and organizations to advance health equity.