An Antiracist Approach to Social Care Integration
Health inequities are often driven by population-level social determinants of health, including public policies related to education, housing, and economic security, and by household-level social risks, such as food insecurity and housing instability. Many pediatric health systems are therefore implementing interventions aimed at assessing and addressing families’ social risks (adverse social conditions associated with poor health) or social needs (adverse social conditions with which families would like assistance). The 2019 National Academy of Science, Engineering, and Medicine report on integrating social care into healthcare provides a valuable framework for these interventions, but this report fails to acknowledge racism as a key driver of social risks and resulting health inequities. To ensure that social care interventions are equitable and ultimately beneficial for all patients and families, we believe they must be grounded in an antiracist approach.