LEARNING COLLABORATIVE DESCRIPTION:

Special and vulnerable populations often face additional barriers to care and are often compounded by social determinants. When screening for SDOH, health centers serving special and vulnerable populations will need consider the unique needs and circumstances of the populations they serve. While screening for SDOH is a necessary first step in identifying these disparities, being able to analyze and understand the data is a crucial step in addressing SDOH.

In the fall of 2020, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Health Outreach Partners (HOP), MHP Salud, and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council (NHCHC) facilitated and led a Learning Collaborative (LC) for health centers serving special and vulnerable populations to explore effective strategies to screen for SDOH and build effective practices to address SDOH through the provision of outreach and Enabling Services (e.g., non-clinical services that facilitate access to care such as eligibility assistance, case management, and transportation). This LC will present and expand on what we learned from last year, and dive deeper in sharing with one another how to utilize the data that is available from implemented SDOH screenings.

This Learning Collaborative will create an opportunity for health centers serving special and vulnerable populations to explore effective strategies to screen for SDOH and utilize data to build effective practices of addressing SDOH through the provision of outreach and enabling services. Participants will gain tools to demonstrate the value of SDOH screening and providing outreach and enabling services, and learn strategies for analyzing and utilizing data collected to advocate for equitable care for their health center patients.

By the end of the LC, all participants will develop a draft Change Map to guide SDOH screening efforts in their own programs and clinics. The group will also have opportunities to demonstrate the implementation of these practices and their success. Participating sites may also have the opportunity to highlight applied practices with a wider audience in subsequent webinars, publications, and future iterations of this series.

ELIGIBILITY:  Prioritized applicants must be representatives of a Health Center Program grantee (or potential Health Center grantee)*

*Additional participants may be approved as space allows.

FEE: NO COST/ FREE

COMMITMENT: Accepted LC applicants are asked to attend a total of four learning sessions between August - September 2021.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES:
1)   Participants will understand the unique considerations of special and vulnerable populations when screening for Social Determinants of Health (SDOH).

2)   Participants will identify at least 1 strategy to effectively screen for SDOH for special and vulnerable populations.

3)   Participants will identify at least three (3) strategies to utilize SDOH screening data to effectively address SDOH of their patient populations.

4)   Participants will gain the tools to demonstrate the value of screening for SDOH, providing Enabling Services, and collecting data.  

5)   Participants will learn from the cohort's experiences screening for SDOH and addressing social determinants and will share best practices for health centers.

Session Details

SESSION 1 (Wednesday, August 4,  2:00 - 3:30 Eastern Standard Time)
By the end of session 1, participants will be able to:
1. Identify unique considerations of special and vulnerable populations when screening for SDOH
2. Understand the purpose and structure of a Change Map
3. Craft a problem and goal statement regarding SDOH screening within their patient population

• Homework: Complete the following portions of the Change Map: Problem Statement, Target Population, Contributing Factors

SESSION 2  (Wednesday, August 18, 2:00-3:30pm Eastern Standard Time)
By the end of session 2, participants will be able to:
1. Using a lens of cultural sensitivity, discuss appropriate strategies to effectively screen SDOH for special and vulnerable populations
2. Propose a SDOH screening intervention and work through key considerations required for success

• Homework: Complete the following portions of the Change Map: Culturally Appropriate, Resources, Partnerships, Staff Buy-in.

SESSION 3  (Wednesday, September 1, 2:00-3:30pm Eastern Standard Time)
By the end of session 3, participants will be able to:
1. Discuss data collection tools and strategies to support and track progress of new practices.
2. Outline activities/phases, propose a timeline, and describe a plan to track progress and collect data for their SDOH screening intervention

• Homework: Complete the following portions of the Change Map: Activities and Phases, Timeline, Tracking Progress, Data.

SESSION 4  (Wednesday, September 15, 2:00-3:30pm Eastern Standard Time)
By the end of session 4, participants will be able to:
1. Define what success looks like and articulate long-term goals for SDOH screening and providing Enabling Services
2. Complete your change map to meet identified goals for SDOH screening within special and vulnerable populations

• Homework: Complete the following portions of the Change Map: Define Success and Sustain and Scale.

Please complete the following application to participate in this Learning Collaborative.

PLEASE SUBMIT APPLICATIONS BY MONDAY, JULY 26th AT MIDNIGHT LOCAL TIME.