Background: Healthcare disparities have existed for decades, yet it took a global pandemic to put this emergency into the spotlight. The Joint Commission states “health related social needs” (HRSN) are the root cause of many disparities. HRSN encompasses a wide spectrum including inability to pay bills, poor access to transportation, and lack of housing. At [...]

Background: Healthcare disparities have existed for decades, yet it took a global pandemic to put this emergency into the spotlight. The Joint Commission states “health related social needs” (HRSN) are the root cause of many disparities. HRSN encompasses a wide spectrum including inability to pay bills, poor access to transportation, and lack of housing. At [...]

Background: Food insecurity (FI), the lack of access to nutritious food to maintain an active lifestyle, is associated with poor health outcomes and morbidities in both children and adults. COVID-19 has exacerbated FI and disproportionately impacts communities of color and low-income households. Hospitalization can be an important time to address FI as a social determinant [...]

Background: Social determinants of health (SDOH) are thought to account for up to half of modifiable outcomes related to health. Children from minority groups and/or lower socioeconomic backgrounds are at higher risk for hospitalization. Efforts have been made to screen for social risk factors in the outpatient setting. However, few studies describe inpatient SDOH screening [...]

Background: Food insecurity (FI) is “the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or…to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways.” FI, a social determinant of health (SDOH), is associated with worse health, education, and socioeconomic outcomes. A validated 2-question survey with high sensitivity and specificity in identifying food insecure families exists. [...]

Background: Health-related social needs (HRSN) exacerbate poor health in patients with chronic medical conditions. The population of frequently hospitalized patients is heterogeneous, but many have unmet health related social needs. Multidisciplinary programs for this population emphasize longitudinal patient-provider relationships and intensive case management. Studies of these interventions have failed to demonstrate improved readmissions outcomes but [...]

Case Presentation: A 33-year-old female presented to the emergency department with 2-days of fever, nausea, non-bilious/non-bloody vomiting, epigastric pain, and anorexia. This was superimposed on a one-year history of intermittent abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, bilious vomiting, and 20-pound weight loss which has been preceded by food insecurity with resulting weight loss. Her past medical, surgical, [...]

Background: The transition period from hospital to home is a critical phase in patient care. Inadequate transitions can lead to adverse events, readmissions, delays in care, increased healthcare expenses and increased morbidity and mortality. Individuals with diabetes are particularly susceptible to readmission, facing a significantly higher risk compared to those without the condition. Furthermore, diabetic [...]