Social determinants of health (SDOH) have a great impact on healthcare reform due to the possibility of SDOH to affect health risks and outcomes (“Social determinants of health,” 2017). Organizations may use SDOH to reduce healthcare costs through providing the most suitable conditions for people to live, work, play, and learn. Moreover, social determinants can share information about people’s rights and give them suggestions on whom they can address in regards to their problems.
In order to promote sustainable and socioeconomic development, as well as health, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were set for the global community (Bircher & Kuruvilla, 2014). Bircher and Kuruvilla (2014) emphasize that people’s health depends greatly on SDOH. Thus, everything possible should be done to promote people’s knowledge about SDOH and teach them to improve these determinants.
In my community, much attention is paid to the arrangement of people’s access to healthcare. People arrange days and weeks of social services to help those in need. Professional caregivers teach citizens how to look after their relatives who can no longer take care of themselves. Also, there are several websites aimed specifically at our community which tell people about their rights and the options they have once they find themselves in need of help and support. The community frequently initiates health promotion and disease prevention activities in which many people participate. I believe that SDOH plays a crucial role in healthcare reform, and it is necessary to make people aware of what factors may impact their health.
References
Bircher, J., & Kuruvilla, S. (2014). Defining health by addressing individual, social, and environmental determinants: New opportunities for health care and public health. Journal of Public Health Policy, 35(5), 363-386.
Christianson, J. B., Wellever, A., Radcliff, T., & Knutson, D. J. (2000). How do urban organized health care delivery systems link with rural providers? Health Care Management Review, 25(3), 36-47.
Guerriere, D. N., Wong, A. M., Croxford, R., Leong, V. W., McKeever, P., & Coyte, P. C. (2008). Costs and determinants of privately financed home-based health care in Ontario, Canada. Health & Social Care in the Community, 16(2), 126-136.
Social determinants of health: Know what affects health. (2017). Web.