Primary Submission Category: Health equity
Engaging our Community Resources to Better Serve Our Patient Population
Authors: Kelly Galloway, Alice Antwi,
Presenting Author: Kelly Galloway*
Introduction: The Health Equity Project (HEP) at Albany Medical College has partnered with the Department of General Pediatrics at Albany Med Health System since 2019 to address social determinants of health (SDoH) and promote health equity by connecting families with community resources. In 2023, 39% of all positive SDoH screenings indicated at least one environmental concern for housing, utilities, and home. Families often face challenges with unaffordable rent and utilities, poor housing conditions, increasing eviction rates, and subsidized housing with multi-year waiting lists. In contrast, community organizations and government programs face funding, capacity issues, and staff turnover. We sought to identify existing gaps in the community’s housing resources and enhance collaborative efforts among community-based organizations (CBOs) and healthcare institutions.
Methods: Inclusion criteria for CBOs included those with programs related to Homeless and Family Services, Financial Housing services, Environmental/ Weatherization services, Legal Housing Aid, and Home Repairs in the Capital Region. From January – March 2024, using established relationships and a snowball method approach 19 organizations were collected to participate in a survey and a semi-structured interview.
Results: Survey participation had a 100% (19/19) response rate. 35 housing programs/ services were identified in the survey. The top three counties’ programs that provide service include Albany, Schenectady, and Rensselaer. Semi-structured Interviews had 47% (9/19) participation, and 12 additional services/ programs were identified during the process.
Lessons Learned: A deeper knowledge of programs and services available in our community and the importance of keeping regular communication with CBOs.