For the past two decades, the impact of social isolation on health outcomes, longevity, and healthcare spending has emerged as a critical public health concern, especially in preventing social isolation among the rural aging population. “Lack of human contact has serious physiological consequences, including increased risk of functional decline, mobility loss, and clinical dementia,” reports Bill Frist MD, BPC Senior Fellow.
The new brief “Rural Aging: Health and Community Policy Implications for Reversing Social Isolation”, was developed by the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) https://bipartisanpolicy.org in collaboration with Tivity Health www.tivithealth.com along with a diverse group of policy experts and stakeholders during a roundtable discussion held at BPC in June.
Recommendations resulting from the roundtable included implementing public policy changes that could reverse social isolation plus include social isolation among the social determinants of health. Importantly, technology should be used as a key tool to connect rural seniors, friends, and family to healthcare resources, transportation, and education needs.
Intermountain Healthcare https://intermountainhealthcare.org in Utah is actively seeking to promote health and prevent illness by addressing social determinants of health. A new collaborative called the “Utah Alliance for the Determinants of Health” has been formed to promote health, improve healthcare access, and decrease healthcare costs. Intermountain is going to provide $12 million over three years so the Alliance can focus on non-medical factors. Also, Zions Bank has donated $100,000 to support the Alliance.
The plan is for the Alliance to support an initial demonstration program in Ogden, and St. George Utah for three years subject to applicable regulations. The two Utah communities will partner with other organizations and agencies involving the city, county, and state government agencies, as well with other community-based organizations.
The SelectHealth Medicaid demonstration will be with members in four zip codes in Utah https://selecthealth.org/plans/medicaid. The SelectHealth members will be screened for social needs and then the Alliance will work with community partners to ensure that services are aligned with the needs of community members. The Alliance will concentrate on housing instability, utility needs, food insecurity, interpersonal violence, and transportation.
The Alliance program will be available to qualifying persons without regard to their choice of healthcare providers. Upon the completion of the demonstration, the program will be evaluated for expansion to other populations and geographic areas.