Working Together to Tackle Social Determinants of Health: Putting the "Soul" of Public Health into Practice
Panelists-
Umair A. Shah, M.D., MPH, Executive Director, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services
Jennifer M. Hadayia, MPA, Senior Policy Planner/Health Equity Coordinator, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services
Samantha Talli, BS, Volunteer and Intern Program Assistant, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services
Tamara Bourda, Ph.D., Director, Healthy Communities, Catholic Health Initiatives-National Office Englewood, CO
Marcita Galindez, MPA, Program Manager, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
The Healthy People 2020 defines “social determinants of health (SDH) as the conditions in the social and physical environment in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life risks and outcomes. The social environment refers to social, economic, and cultural norms, patterns, beliefs, processes, policies, and institutions that influence the life of an individual or community. The physical environment refers to both the natural and human-made environments and how they impact health1.” Some examples of these include access to quality education, jobs training, access to healthy foods and transportation. Social determinants of health are often the root cause of negative health outcomes and understanding SDH is key to eliminating health inequities2.
Whether or not religion can be classified as a SDH has been the focus of much debate in the literature; however, it is becoming more evident that religion is a powerful, yet under-utilized social capital3. Religion, or faith in general, is an integral part of many people’s lives, and spiritual practices and institutions impact the wellbeing of the people they serve every day. Through various activities and ministries, some of which align with social justice principles underlying public health practice, religious institutions are often community gatekeepers and are uniquely positioned to reach larger and broader populations including vulnerable and underserved groups making them ideal for addressing certain racial/ethnic disparities in health. Such institutions can achieve their goal of a spiritually healthy congregation by including core principles of public health in their work, and studies reveal a positive association between religious involvement and health-related outcomes4. Therefore, in the last decade, there has been a push to include religion as a SDH and religious establishments as core partners in promoting good health.
This session will provide a public health perspective on the roles of faith and faith-based organizations in population health and will describe how a local health department and its health care partners are integrating public health and faith via collaboration. Our goals are to demonstrate: a) how public health and health care organizations can guide religious institutions to help their communities become healthier and b) how health care organizations, guided by their religion-based philosophy, can help the communities they serve by promoting healthy living. We will do this through a series of case studies.
Research on the religion-health connection is resurging and refinements in theories and analytical methods are helping us understand the mechanisms by which religion could affect health. With ongoing health and wellness initiatives religious institutions and public health are primed to further their partnership and recognize that their ultimate goals are similar in creating healthier, happier communities, both spiritually and physically.
Umair A. Shah, M.D., MPH, Executive Director, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services
Jennifer M. Hadayia, MPA, Senior Policy Planner/Health Equity Coordinator, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services
Samantha Talli, BS, Volunteer and Intern Program Assistant, Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services
Tamara Bourda, Ph.D., Director, Healthy Communities, Catholic Health Initiatives-National Office Englewood, CO
Marcita Galindez, MPA, Program Manager, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
The Healthy People 2020 defines “social determinants of health (SDH) as the conditions in the social and physical environment in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life risks and outcomes. The social environment refers to social, economic, and cultural norms, patterns, beliefs, processes, policies, and institutions that influence the life of an individual or community. The physical environment refers to both the natural and human-made environments and how they impact health1.” Some examples of these include access to quality education, jobs training, access to healthy foods and transportation. Social determinants of health are often the root cause of negative health outcomes and understanding SDH is key to eliminating health inequities2.
Whether or not religion can be classified as a SDH has been the focus of much debate in the literature; however, it is becoming more evident that religion is a powerful, yet under-utilized social capital3. Religion, or faith in general, is an integral part of many people’s lives, and spiritual practices and institutions impact the wellbeing of the people they serve every day. Through various activities and ministries, some of which align with social justice principles underlying public health practice, religious institutions are often community gatekeepers and are uniquely positioned to reach larger and broader populations including vulnerable and underserved groups making them ideal for addressing certain racial/ethnic disparities in health. Such institutions can achieve their goal of a spiritually healthy congregation by including core principles of public health in their work, and studies reveal a positive association between religious involvement and health-related outcomes4. Therefore, in the last decade, there has been a push to include religion as a SDH and religious establishments as core partners in promoting good health.
This session will provide a public health perspective on the roles of faith and faith-based organizations in population health and will describe how a local health department and its health care partners are integrating public health and faith via collaboration. Our goals are to demonstrate: a) how public health and health care organizations can guide religious institutions to help their communities become healthier and b) how health care organizations, guided by their religion-based philosophy, can help the communities they serve by promoting healthy living. We will do this through a series of case studies.
Research on the religion-health connection is resurging and refinements in theories and analytical methods are helping us understand the mechanisms by which religion could affect health. With ongoing health and wellness initiatives religious institutions and public health are primed to further their partnership and recognize that their ultimate goals are similar in creating healthier, happier communities, both spiritually and physically.