![Social Workers](/sites/default/files/styles/400_wide/public/2024-08/N29626_Social%20Workers%20at%20LVHN-Blog.jpg?itok=mO_rIVVU&cb=7fa8909e)
Health care just isn’t simple. There is a whole world of factors that affect it besides treating and managing disease and injury. Items like safe housing, income, access to nutritious foods, discrimination and even literacy can all impact whether a person can recover. These factors, known as social determinants of health (SDHs), account for 30-55% of health outcomes according to studies.
It’s logical that encouraging people to eat healthy won’t be effective if a person doesn’t have access to a grocery store where healthy food is available. That’s one example of how socioeconomic situations are related and can contribute to an increased risk for developing heart disease, diabetes or obesity – or block recovery from it. Some time ago, hospitals and clinicians began to focus on SDHs and realized social workers were essential to addressing these concerns.