Social determinants play a significant role in healthcare outcomes. In this episode, Melissa Sherry, VP of Social Care Integration at Unite Us, talks about the company's work by interconnecting care workers and patients with social care providers, be it community-based organizations, healthcare systems, or government institutions and even the criminal justice system.

Income level, food insecurity, and housing affect patients' health. In a corresponding matter, Unite Us is collecting, standardizing, and structuring data in its coordinated care network. Thanks to this, by referring and tracking patients, the company makes sure each individual within their network has their basic needs met and improves their patient journey.

Tune in to this episode to listen about how social needs are being targeted for better healthcare outcomes!

About Melissa Sherry:

Melissa Sherry is the VP of Social Care Integration at Unite Us and designs payments technology to increase funding for community programs. She holds an M.P.H and a Ph.D. from the Department of Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Things You’ll Learn:

• Unite Us is building coordinated care networks to make sure individuals’ basic needs are met and their social care journey is achieved.
• Housing is an important social determinant in patients’ care in terms of access and quality.
• Determinants like access to electricity, food, and medication all work in a snowball effect. 
• Unlike healthcare language, the language around social care is currently being standardized by projects like the Gravity Project and Unite Us.
• Unite Us is using technology, along with structured data, in order to allow referrals to be easily sent through their platform. 
• Social needs affect outcomes across all different sectors, including healthcare.

Resources:

• Connect and follow Melissa Sherry on LinkedIn 
• Follow Unite Us on LinkedIn 
• Discover the Unite Us Website
• Explore the Gravity Project Website