Theory vs Practice: Should Primary Care Practice Take on Social Determinants of Health Now? Yes.

Arthur Kaufman

doi:10.1370/afm.1915

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Author Response to Dr. Prunuske
Arthur Kaufman

Published on: 10 March 2016
Partnerships and Advocacy
Jacob P. Prunuske

Published on: 08 March 2016

Published on: (10 March 2016)
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Author Response to Dr. Prunuske
Arthur Kaufman, Vice Chancellor
Dr. Prunuske makes an important observation and recommendation. Resources in the community exist and do address certain social determinants but these resources are often siloed from each other. Public health and primary care should be natural partners for they could contribute complementary resources to a needy community and patient population. We have seen the emergence of such productive collaborations in the "Health C...
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Dr. Prunuske makes an important observation and recommendation. Resources in the community exist and do address certain social determinants but these resources are often siloed from each other. Public health and primary care should be natural partners for they could contribute complementary resources to a needy community and patient population. We have seen the emergence of such productive collaborations in the "Health Commons" and the "Community-Centered Health Home" models which go beyond the confines of a Patient-Centered Medical Home.
I'd like to recommend another community resource with potential benefits in addressing social determinants for primary care patients--the agricultural Cooperative Extension Service. They exist in every county in the US, urban and rural, yet are mostly unknown to the healthcare system. They offer effective community education in nutrition, economic development, family and consumer sciences and youth development through their 4-H clubs. We have emulated their success by creating "Health Extension" Agents or "HEROs." We now collaborate with them, inviting their agents to offer education programs to patients in FQHC clinics.
Competing interests: None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.
Published on: (8 March 2016)
Page navigation anchor for Partnerships and Advocacy
Partnerships and Advocacy
Jacob P. Prunuske, Associate Professor
One of the key messages in this essay is the hiring of additional staff to help address social needs. Not all responsibility falls on already busy doctors. Another option would be to develop and sustain better day-to-day working relationships with our local and state public health departments. We often work in parallel with relatively little integration. Finally, neither point nor counter point in this series mentio...
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One of the key messages in this essay is the hiring of additional staff to help address social needs. Not all responsibility falls on already busy doctors. Another option would be to develop and sustain better day-to-day working relationships with our local and state public health departments. We often work in parallel with relatively little integration. Finally, neither point nor counter point in this series mentioned the importance of physician advocacy. We must be leaders for change, advocating for our patients and communities to address disparities and social injustices.
Competing interests: None declared
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Competing Interests: None declared.