Social Determinants of Health
What goes into your health?
In order to impact the behavioral health needs of children and their families, we need to first address and prevent the underlying trauma making individuals at higher risk for behavioral and mental health issues. Telehealth ROCKS believes children and families living in poverty and struggling to overcome barriers to meet their most basic needs experience daily background trauma that contributes to behavioral health issues throughout childhood and adulthood. By addressing the Social Determinants of Health and helping families access needed resources to become more self-sufficient, Telehealth
ROCKS believes we will have more successful children, families, and communities.
What are Social Determinants of Health?
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. SDOH also contribute to wide health disparities and inequities. Learn more at Healthy People 2030.
Source: Healthy People 2030, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.
Source: Office of Health Policy, Addressing Social Determinants of Health: Examples of Successful Evidence-Based Strategies and Current Federal Efforts (April 2022)
Working Upstream
Telehealth ROCKS addresses Social Determinants of Health by tackling the individual needs that keep children and families from being successful, while also focusing on underlying social and structural causes of health disparities and inequities.
Examples
Social Determinants of Health have a major impact on people’s health, well-being, and quality of life. Examples include:
- Safe housing, transportation and neighborhoods
- Education, job opportunities and income
- Access to nutritious foods
- Polluted air and water
- Language and literacy skills
Domains
Economic Stability
- Employment
- Income
- Expenses
- Debt
- Medical Bills
- Support
Education Access and Quality
- Literacy
- Language
- Early Childhood Education
- Vocational Training
- Higher Education
Health Care Access and Quality
- Heath Coverage
- Provider and Pharmacy Availability
- Access to Linguestically and Culturally Appropriate Care
- Quality of Life
Neighborhood and Built Environment
- Housing
- Transportation
- Parks
- Playgrounds
- Walkability
Social and Community Context
- Social Integration
- Support Systems
- Community Engagement
- Stress
- Exposure to Violence/Trauma
- Policing/Justice Policy
Telehealth ROCKS Initiatives
Social Determinants of Health might go by other names, such as Social Drivers of Health or Health-Related Social Needs. In our work, we might also discuss Social Determinants of Mental Health. In education, you might hear about the Social Influencers of Health and Education. Ultimately, we all mean the same thing--the nonmedical factors that influence health, well-being and education success. No matter the language used, we're all working to help meet needs for children and families. Learn more about several Telehealth ROCKS initiatives to address these needs below.
Impacting Social Determinants of Health training series
Learn about each of the 5 domains of the social determinants of health and hear from organizations and schools who are impacting that domain in their community. Register for the series and view past resources and recordings.
Family-School-Community Partnerships
Placing Community Health Workers in schools helps develop strong partnerships with the family, the school and community. All work together towards the goal of student success. Learn more about the Telehealth ROCKS approach by viewing a short video, viewing the 1-page flyer or downloading the 4-page overview.
Agencies Working Together
A new initiative in Kansas is reshaping the dynamics of community support. Led by the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Greenbush Education Service Center, the goal of this project is to promote collaboration and support among the various agencies that serve children and families in Southeast Kansas. Learn more.
Community Health Worker Impact Reports
View quarterly impact reports that show the work Telehealth ROCKS School-Based Community Health Workers are doing. See the number of interactions, referral reasons and more.
Additional Resources
General
Assessment Tools
Data
Regional