Considerations for Social Needs Screening in a Local Public Health Agency

This report shows how the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County (DOH) sought to address this for its clients. Program: This midstream intervention identified individual DOH client needs and navigated clients to community resources to address these social needs. Implementation: During the 2019 program, 768 DOH clients were screened, with 77% reporting having 1 or more social needs. Evaluation: Staff and clients identified various challenges clients faced navigating resources on their own, and the value in having resource navigators within the local public health agency. Discussion: Program findings demonstrated alignment with priorities in the Community Health Assessment, leading to engagement of specific partners and planning for population-level policy interventions. Social needs screenings present a unique opportunity for local public health agencies to improve the circumstances of clients and implement health equity approaches in their communities.
Source: Journal of Public Health Management and Practice - Category: Health Management Tags: Practice Full Report Source Type: research