Helping communities target the social determinants of health

In the congressional district I serve, Peoria, Illinois, offers a vibrant community, a growing restaurant and bar scene and a beautiful riverfront. It’s also the home of the 61605 ZIP code, dubbed one of the “most distressed” ZIP codes in the nation. Parts of the Peoria area have a poverty rate three times the national average, limited access to pharmacies and an enduring food desert.

Each of these factors—the social determinants of health—can have a powerful impact on communities. Poverty reduces a person’s ability to access critical health services or safe and hygienic housing. With limited access to pharmacies, residents can’t purchase even basic medicine. And with no nearby grocery stores, the fresh fruit and vegetables necessary for good nutrition are inaccessible. 

The social factors that can harm health are wide-ranging. One woman, who couldn’t afford a car, told me she rides the bus for 16 stops just to go grocery shopping. If the bus is delayed or she can’t dedicate hours to the trip, she’s out of luck.

Towns across America, of all sizes and in diverse locations, face similar challenges. While pollution and poor air quality in densely populated cities lead to higher rates of asthma and other respiratory diseases, a small town in the country might struggle with recruiting and retaining medical professionals. 

Historically, rural communities and communities of color have suffered deeper disparities. The high rates of COVID-19 cases and deaths in Black and Latino communities illustrate these disparities at work today. Black and Latino people are nearly three times more likely than white people to need hospitalization from the virus, and twice as likely to die from it. 

It’s a complex problem. Each community faces different challenges. But the answer we found was surprisingly simple: Help communities help themselves.

Many local organizations and municipalities are already doing this work. They understand these problems better than anyone, and they know best what their community needs. But many struggle with limited resources and don’t know what support is available or how to access it. So, I introduced legislation to empower local leaders with the resources and tools they need to be successful.

The bipartisan Social Determinants Accelerator Act would create a federal grant program, available to state, local and tribal governments, to develop plans to target social determinants that are negatively impacting their communities, provide assistance to help implement their plans and support to help navigate opportunities and strategies to tackle healthcare challenges. The bill has been endorsed by more than 80 local and national organizations across the country, and was recently passed by the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee—a crucial step in the path to become law.

Last Congress, through the House Appropriations Committee, I established a first-of-its-kind, $3 million pilot program, modeled after my bill. That program launched this year.

From there, momentum has continued to grow. In his budget proposal, President Joe Biden called for $153 million in funding for this program, which I was able to help secure in an Appropriations funding package. 

And earlier this year, I launched the bipartisan Social Determinants of Health Caucus, along with three of my colleagues. The caucus aims to raise awareness of how social determinants can impact health, put forward solutions to tackle disparities and empower local leaders to combat these problems in their own communities.

Your ZIP code shouldn’t determine your health or how long you live. And thanks to this legislation, pilot program, new caucus and other efforts, one day it won’t.