Some Community Health Centers receive grant support for the federal Public Housing Primary Care (PHPC) program, a special population designation. The mission of the PHPC program is to provide residents of public housing with increased access to comprehensive primary health care and disease prevention services. In 2021, more than 5.7 million Community Health Center patients were served at a location in or immediately accessible to a public housing site. The National Center for Health in Public Housing (NCHPH) provides training and technical assistance to PHPC grantees. The goal is to increase capacity and improve the performance of HRSA-supported Health Center Programs and other safety net providers in meeting the specialized health care needs of public housing residents. NCHPH has developed materials for training and education, disseminated best practices, and mentored new grantees.
Consider these resources and ideas in recognition of Public Health in Housing Day:
- Connect with your local public housing authority to host a resource event, farmers market, or health fair for residents.
- Organize a community beautification project. Neighborhood clean-ups and community gardens bring residents together for a common cause.
- Invite community members to attend a healthy cooking or exercise class.
Social Determinants of Health
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the nonmedical factors that influence health outcomes. They are the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age, and the wider set of systems shaping the conditions of daily life. Understanding social determinants enables healthcare providers to transform care with integrated services to meet the needs of their patients, and demonstrate the value they bring to communities and payers. The Protocol for Responding to and Assessing Patients’ Assets, Risks and Experiences (PRAPARE) is a national effort to help Community Health Centers collect and apply the data they need to better understand their patients’ social determinants of health. PRAPARE is both a standardized patient social risk assessment tool consisting of a set of national core measures as well as a process for addressing social determinants at both the patient and population levels. By using PRAPARE, providers can better target clinical and non-clinical care (often in partnership with other community-based organizations) to drive care transformation, delivery system integration, as well as improved health and cost reductions. For more PRAPARE information and resources or to join the PRAPARE listserv, visit www.prapare.org or email prapare@nachc.org
