Breaking Down Social Barriers: Analyzing Social Care Programs and Their Impact

Every day, we see patients whose medical hurdles land them at hospitals like Children’s Hospital Colorado. There are many answers our providers and specialists can provide when giving patient families a medical diagnosis, but many of those same children are facing gaps and inequities socially. Often, they fall into different minority groups facing disparities in healthcare equality. Medical insurance may cover labs and procedures, but it doesn’t cover the need for food or housing. Those are just two examples of social barriers that greatly affect one’s health. While many questions remain on best practices for social care programs and how we bring them to fruition, experts are working hard to use them effectively. 

Listen to our pediatric experts discuss social care programs 

In this episode, Lisa DeCamp, MD, and Julie Beaubian join us to discuss how social care programs reduce healthcare disparities and address the needs of patients and their families.  

Dr. DeCamp is a pediatrician in Children’s Colorado's Child Health Clinic and an associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Her research focuses on increasing healthcare engagement of Spanish-speaking Latino families and reducing disparities in healthcare equality and safety for patients and families with limited English proficiency.  

Julie is an operations manager at Children’s Colorado within the community health department where she manages community benefits for the hospital. 

In this episode, our experts discuss:  

• Assessing unmet needs using a psychosocial screener 
• An overview of Resource Connect at Children’s Colorado 
• The greatest barriers to treating patients in the social care setting 
• Bridging the gaps for communities facing inequities 
• Supporting non-English speakers 
• How social support programs influence other communities and hospitals 

Read the paper mentioned in this episode.