ABSTRACT
Addressing patients' social needs is key to helping them heal from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), preventing the spread of the virus, and reducing its disproportionate burden on low-income communities and communities of color. New York City Health + Hospitals is the city's single largest health care provider to Medicaid and uninsured patients. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NYC Health + Hospitals staff developed and executed a strategy to meet patients' intensified social needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. NYC Health + Hospitals identified food, housing, and income support as patients' most pressing needs and built programming to quickly connect patients to these resources. Although NYC Health + Hospitals was able to build on its existing foundation of strong social work support of patients, all health systems must prioritize the social needs of patients and their families to mitigate the damage of COVID-19. National and local leaders should accelerate change by developing robust policy approaches to redesign the social and economic system that reinforces structural inequity and exacerbates crises such as COVID-19.
Subject(s)
Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Delivery of Health Care/organization & administration , Health Services Accessibility/organization & administration , Pandemics/statistics & numerical data , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , Poverty/statistics & numerical data , Quarantine/organization & administration , COVID-19 , Coronavirus Infections/prevention & control , Female , Health Personnel/organization & administration , Housing/organization & administration , Humans , Male , Needs Assessment , New York City , Pandemics/prevention & control , Pneumonia, Viral/prevention & control , Poverty/economics , Public Health , Social SupportABSTRACT
The Supreme Court holds that the government owes insurers the full risk corridors payments due under the Affordable Care Act.