Social Determinants of Health in Montana
"SDOH model" by Skbanergt is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
What are Social Determinants of Health?
Social determinants of health are the underlying social and economic conditions that influence people's ability to be healthy.
The Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Bureau works for the people of Montana. We wish to share information about social determinants of health and health equity in an effort to promote collaboration and connectedness amongst healthcare providers, community organizations, and other interested parties. Long-standing and respected organizations are changing the way we define health and are considering the variety of ways our non-medical factors influence our health outcomes. The topics discussed here are not an exhaustive list, nor are they silo topics. Braiding these various SDOH topics may be necessary to fully understand and help our communities.
For more information on other Programs in the Chronic Disease Prevention Bureau, please visit their website.
There are five main focus areas of Social Determinants of Health (SDOH):
DPHHS is one of many partners across the state supporting healthy equity initiatives. As a diverse group of healthcare professionals, nonprofit workers, and passionate community problem-solvers, we work together to benefit those that we serve, the healthcare system, and society as a whole.
We recognize that some people in Montana have more opportunities than others due to historical marginalization and discrimination in the areas of healthcare access, housing, quality education, jobs with fair pay, and safe environments. Health equity adjusts resources towards historically disadvantaged groups and addresses SDOH and health disparities. By acknowledging and addressing inequities, the Chronic Disease and Prevention Bureau hopes to serve all Montanans with dignity, respect and a deep cultural understanding.
Health equity is one of the primary goals of our 2020 State Health Assessment (SHA) (chromeextension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://dphhs.mt.gov/assets/publichealth/ahealthiermontana/2017SHAFinal.pdf) and 2019-2023 State Improvement Plan (SHIP) (chrome extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://dphhs.mt.gov/assets/publichealth/ahealthiermontana/2019SHIPfinal.pdf). A network of partners from state, local, and tribal government, non-profit, health care, business, and other sectors are using data from the SHA and the SHIP to address their mission: To protect and improve the health of every Montanan through evidence-based action and community engagement. (see DPHHS site, A Healthier Montana: https://dphhs.mt.gov/ahealthiermontana/)
“The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” – Coretta Scott King