The New York State Department of Health (DOH) announced the formation of the Bureau of Social Determinants of Health (SDH). According to DOH, “Social determinants of health include: poverty; environmental threats; inadequate access to health care; individual and behavioral factors; and educational inequalities. Social determinants of health are influenced by a wider set of forces: economics, social policies, and politics.”
Denard Cummings will lead the eleven-person bureau, which will be part of the Office of Health Insurance Programs (OHIP). It will work with health plans, providers, community based organizations, Performing Provider Systems (PPS) and Value Based Purchasing (VBP) contractors on special initiatives, including supportive housing, nutrition, and education.
To learn more about the SDH requirements in the State’s VBP Roadmap, click here.