Industry tries to fill the void
From social determinants to the opioid crisis, 2018 was marked by fits and starts and mixed messages from Washington, D.C.
While the rhetoric around addressing social determinants grew in 2018, efforts to fundamentally affect such things as housing and food insecurity were limited in scope.
The healthcare system’s approach to social determinants in many ways reflected the country’s response overall to some of the year’s most pressing public health concerns.
There was tepid praise for Congress’ attempt to address the opioid crisis—enactment of the Support for Patients and Communities Act. While the bipartisan legislative package included provisions aimed at expanding telehealth for substance abuse treatment and expanding first responders’ access to overdose-reversal medication naloxone, it fell short, public health leaders said, of making a large-scale funding commitment toward expanding access to treatment and prevention.
Public health officials and providers also grew more frustrated with Washington’s inaction on efforts to curb gun violence. Despite a growing chorus to study the dilemma as a public health crisis, Congress did not allocate any funds to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That led some providers to fill the void. Kaiser Permanente in April announced it was investing $2 million to research gun violence.