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Health E Englewood Health and Wellness Program: A Social Determinants of Health Intervention in Englewood, New Jersey

BACKGROUND

The Health E Englewood Health and Wellness Program is a social determinant of health (SDoH) intervention developed to address social factors affecting the health of the North Hudson Community Action Corporation (NHCAC) patients', a Federally Qualified Health Center located in Englewood, New Jersey. The main aim of this integrated wellness approach was to educate and motivate participants from the local community by strengthening the development of healthy lifestyles and providing the necessary tools for positive behavior change.

METHODS

Health E Englewood was a four consecutive week workshop series focused on three areas of health: physical, emotional, and nutritional wellness. The program targeted Spanish-speaking patients from NHCAC and was offered virtually via Zoom in Spanish.

RESULTS

The Health E Englewood program was launched in October 2021 with 40 active participants. About 63% of participants attended at least three of the four workshop sessions, with at least 60% of participants reporting improved lifestyle changes after the program. Additional follow-up data collected six months later also indicated evidence of the program's long-term benefits.

DISCUSSION

Social factors are the primary drivers of health outcomes. While many determinant interventions have failed to show long-lasting benefits, studying these interventions and their impact is crucial as it avoids "re-creating the wheel" inside health care and increasing costs.

Becoming a Community-Based Physician Researcher

Years ago, as a contented community family physician practicing with 4 physician colleagues, I focused on applying medical knowledge to help patients. After a young patient’s death from smoking I became interested in improving our strategy for helping smokers quit. A researcher offered us the opportunity to test a cessation intervention that had been successful in an academic setting. I was concerned that this study would interfere with my patient care duties until I visited a practitioner researcher in Wales. I was inspired and worked with a research professional to build colleague support and carry out this project. After this gratifying experience I had similar experiences working with other research teams. As an ordinary practitioner I had expanded my role to become significantly involved in research. In this role I was working with a team to improve patient care. It was a fundamental change that brought me great satisfaction.

Moving upstream: how interventions that address the social determinants of health can improve health and reduce disparities

There is considerable scientific and policy interest in reducing socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in healthcare and health status. Currently, much of the policy focus around reducing health disparities has been geared toward improving access, coverage, quality, and the intensity of healthcare. However, health is more a function of lifestyles linked to living and working conditions than of healthcare. Accordingly, effective efforts to improve health and reduce gaps in health need to pay greater attention to addressing the social determinants of health within and outside of the healthcare system. This article highlights research evidence documenting that tackling the social determinants of health can lead to reductions in health disparities. It focuses both on interventions within the healthcare system that address some of the social determinants of health and on interventions in upstream factors such as housing, neighborhood conditions, and increased socioeconomic status that can lead to improvements in health. The studies reviewed highlight the importance of systematic evaluation of social and economic policies that might have health consequences and the need for policy makers, healthcare providers, and leaders across multiple sectors of society to apply currently available knowledge to improve the underlying conditions that impact the health of populations.