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Transforming the Definition of Children's Health

Dr. Moss addresses the social determinants of health in children

 

Transforming Health Care to Deliver the Healthiest Generation of Americans

Improving the health and well-being of children today leads to healthier adults and improves the quality of life for families for generations. Improved health leads to improved workforce productivity and reduces health care-related costs to individuals, companies, governments and communities. This strengthens our country and the American economy for years to come.

Children Are Not Only the Future, They Hold the Solution

Children account for only about 7% of total medical care spending, yet will soon become 100% of the adult population. The benefits of intervention in childhood can last a lifetime, and positively impact medical spending when they become adults. These interventions can even impact health and medical care for the next generation. Families want and need help from their pediatrician or primary care provider.

What Are Pediatric Social Determinants of Health?

According to The World Health Organization, they are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power and resources at global, national and local levels. The social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities, affecting whether a variety of medical conditions are diagnosed and treated in some individuals, while others do not seek or receive care at all.

 

Nemours believes that children's hospitals and health systems possess the expertise, trusted relationships and infrastructure to serve as the stewards of children’s health — creating a healthier future for all children and families.

Addressing the Social Determinants of Health in Children

Medical care represents only a fraction of what we should consider when we think about health. The rest includes things like social determinants of health, in their various forms. This includes education, literacy, housing, safety, freedom from adverse childhood experiences and other social factors.

What Nemours Is Doing to Address the Pediatric Social Determinants of Health

Nemours is working toward a solution by investing in what we call a Value-Based Services Organization (VBSO) with four prongs — medical management, data analytics and IT, population health management, and primary care — moving toward full capitated risk. The goal: improve health outcomes, quality of care, accessibility, quality of life, and reduce costs. 

How Nemours Children’s Health System Is Working Toward a Solution:

 

 

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