How Can Our Healthcare System Keep Us Healthy?

TL;DR

To keep us healthy, our healthcare system must address social determinants by enabling doctors to prescribe essential resources like food and housing alongside medical treatments. Health Leads illustrates this by connecting low-income patients with necessary support through a network of trained advocates, ultimately aiming for a shift from sick care to proactive health promotion.

Transcript

so my freshman year of college I signed up for an internship in the housing unit at Greater Boston Legal Services showed up the first day ready to make coffee and photoc copies but was paired with this righteous deeply inspir fired attorney named Jeff Purcell who thrust me onto the front lines from the very first day and over the course of nine mon... Read More

Key Insights

• 🧑‍⚕️ Health Leads aims to shift the focus of healthcare from managing disease to promoting health by addressing social determinants.
• 😷 By integrating their model into electronic medical records, Health Leads is transforming the healthcare system into a health promotion tool.
• 🇰🇼 The organization envisions a reinvention of clinic waiting rooms to provide access to resources that promote health rather than simply waiting.
• 💉 Health Leads highlights the underutilized potential of the healthcare workforce, including college students, to address patients' basic health needs.
• 🪡 Their model demonstrates the need for a broader approach to healthcare, recognizing that medications alone are not enough to keep patients healthy.
• 😌 Health Leads believes that the true measure of healthcare lies in the prevention of diseases and the rarity of using specialized technologies.
• 📺 The organization emphasizes the importance of realizing our shared vision for healthcare and the potential for choosing a healthcare system that aligns with our aspirations.

Questions & Answers

Q: What inspired the creation of Health Leads?

The founder was inspired by an internship where she witnessed the connection between housing issues and underlying health problems faced by low-income families.

Q: How does Health Leads connect patients with resources?

Health Leads operates through a network of college student advocates who work side by side with families to connect them to existing community resources.

Q: How does Health Leads approach healthcare differently?

Health Leads focuses on addressing social determinants of health rather than solely managing diseases, with doctors and nurses prescribing resources alongside medication.

Q: What impact can college student advocates have on healthcare?

College student advocates offer a Next Generation healthcare leadership pipeline by connecting with patients and understanding their basic health needs, helping to shape future healthcare practices.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Health Leads was founded based on conversations with low-income families in Boston who faced housing issues linked to underlying health problems.

• The organization uses a simple model where doctors and nurses can prescribe nutrition, food, heat, and other basic resources to patients.

• Health Leads has expanded its efforts to include systemic change by incorporating their model into electronic medical records and clinic waiting rooms.