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in recenT yeArs we hAve wiTnessed incredible
advances in science and technology that improve the care we
deliver to patients. But if people can’t take their medication be-
cause they don’t have a home, or have to choose between buying
food and medication, then this innovation means little. Health
is about so much more than the care we provide at a hospital
or medical office.
An individual’s ZIP code can be a more accurate driver of
health than their genetic code. In the San Francisco Bay Area,
for example, Kaiser Permanente found stark evidence that select
neighborhoods experience higher rates of diabetes (up to 11%)
and child obesity (up to 23%). A study published in Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention in 2017 concluded that
obesity rates among breast- cancer survivors were higher among
African Americans and U.S.-born Hispanics than non- Hispanic
whites in part because of their social and built environments.
The reality is that the enormous social and economic issues
that dominate the news will prevent us from improving
health if we can’t resolve them and create a more equitable
system. The good news is, we can make progress, and that
progress will build on itself and
encourage others to join the fight.
It’s always made sense to me
that health care organizations
would be a critical partner in
solving issues so directly related
to health. Who knows the popu-
lation better? Who better under-
stands the impact those issues
have on our communities? It is
time for us to engage in the fight
for health beyond our walls, be-
yond our care teams, and to ad-
dress issues that could make a real
difference in the health of the people who live
in our communities.
Those of us who lead such organizations
can help by admitting where we have gaps
in our capabilities and evaluating what kind
of partners we need to deliver tangible prog-
ress. It’s also important to recognize where
our expertise, data and resources can play
a role to take something from promising to
reality. For instance, Kaiser Permanente has
developed nearly 35 programs across all of
our regions that identify members with social
needs such as housing, food, safety, transpor-
tation and utilities and connect them to com-
munity resources. That made us well suited
to think about what was missing: a system-
atic, standardized and consistent approach
to addressing our community members’ so-
cial needs.so we launched a social-health network
called Thrive Local. Working with technol-
ogy partner Unite Us, we are integrating this
network into Kaiser Permanente’s electronic
health- record system, allowing health care
workers to make referrals directly to commu-
nity organizations and social- service agencies
and then track referrals to confirm that patient
needs have been met. It will also be made avail-
able to community- based organizations at no
cost. And in May of last year, we announced
an impact investment of $200 million to ad-
dress housing affordability and homelessness
in communities across the nation.
But to effect change at scale, we also need
to persuade policymakers to focus on the
issue. So we joined the Mayors & CEOs for U.S.
Housing Investment coalition to advocate for
major policy and funding reforms for housing
and homelessness programs at the national
level.
These examples are just the start. We’re
working on food security, climate change and
other important issues. And there is plenty of
room for others to contribute in a host of areas
that we know impact health.
We are in a position to make real progress,
and our mission requires us to try. We need to
make care affordable. To continue to raise the
quality of care. To make sure our employees
have the training they need to deliver 21st cen-
tury care. To improve the health of our com-
munities. Everyone should have the chance to
thrive; these are the steps health care organiza-
tions must take to make that happen.Tyson is chairman and CEO of Kaiser
PermanenteYour home should
not determine
your health
By Bernard J. Tyson
It is time forus to engagein the fightfor healthbeyond ourwalls