(Press-News.org) Waltham — May 15, 2024 — A nationwide assessment of how nonprofit hospitals are addressing housing-related needs in their communities appears in the latest issue of Medical Care, the official journal of the Medical Care Section of the American Public Health Association. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
"Approximately 60% of hospitals in the United States are 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations and are legally required to address substantial health needs in their communities as a condition for tax exemption," explain Berkeley Franz, PhD, Associate Professor of Community-based Health at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, and colleagues. Housing-related factors are a well-documented social determinant of health, found in multiple studies to affect individual health conditions such as hypertension and chronic disease, child development disorders, and mental health disorders.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act introduced additional requirements: nonprofit hospitals must complete a triennial community health needs assessment and corresponding implementation strategy. Dr. Franz’s group, which included 7 medical students, analyzed a national dataset of those records, randomly sampling 20% of all nonspecialized nonprofit community hospitals within each state.
The researchers found that of 433 hospitals studied, 346 (80%) did not mention their community’s housing needs within their implementation strategy. Of the other 87 hospitals, 29 (7%) documented only one strategy they are using to address housing needs.
Multiple strategies are being used to address housing insecurity
The hospitals that mentioned housing needs in their implementation strategies collectively listed 302 strategies for addressing housing insecurity. The most common was collaboration with community and hospital-based partners to increase access to affordable housing initiatives, housing assistance, and employment for low-income residents, mentioned in 103 strategies (34%).
These strategies "may allow hospitals to work with the community organizations that have prior expertise and funding in housing, providing hospitals with a foundation upon which to build their own programs," the researchers note.
The second most common strategy (21%) was to provide financial assistance for temporary and transitional housing. Directly asking patients about their housing status and other social determinants of health was one of the least common approaches (9%), even though it is perhaps one of the most actionable.
Characteristics of nonprofit hospitals that address housing-related needs
In general, hospitals that addressed housing in their implementation strategies were:
Larger
Urban
Academic medical centers
In communities with high income inequality
More likely to be serving populations where severe housing needs are common (more than one person per room; monthly housing costs exceed 50% of income; lack of a sink, stove, or refrigerator; or lack of hot and cold water, a toilet, or a bathtub/shower)
The latter finding suggests that "at least for housing, hospitals are making charitable investments in ways that are in alignment with local needs," Dr. Franz and her co-authors say. They speculate that larger hospitals and major teaching hospitals are better positioned to obtain funding or federal grants than smaller hospitals with fewer resources for research and outreach.
"Understanding the way hospitals currently address housing insecurity is an important step toward developing effective interventions," the authors point out. "Future work should focus on supporting cross-sector partnerships and the integration of social determinants of health into hospitals’ community health programming."
Read Article: National Overview of Nonprofit Hospitals’ Community Benefit Programs to Address Housing
Wolters Kluwer provides trusted clinical technology and evidence-based solutions that engage clinicians, patients, researchers and students in effective decision-making and outcomes across health care. We support clinical effectiveness, learning and research, and clinical surveillance and compliance, as well as data solutions. For more information about our solutions, visit https://www.wolterskluwer.com/en/health.
###
About Wolters Kluwer
Wolters Kluwer (EURONEXT: WKL) is a global leader in information, software solutions and services for professionals in healthcare; tax and accounting; financial and corporate compliance; legal and regulatory; corporate performance and ESG. We help our customers make critical decisions every day by providing expert solutions that combine deep domain knowledge with technology and services.
Wolters Kluwer reported 2023 annual revenues of €5.6 billion. The group serves customers in over 180 countries, maintains operations in over 40 countries, and employs approximately 21,400 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands.
For more information, visit www.wolterskluwer.com, follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
END
Only 20% of U.S. nonprofit hospitals invested in housing as part of the federal community benefit mandate
Most hospitals addressing housing are located in cities and serve people with more significant needs, suggesting certain populations lack access to housing interventions
2024-05-15
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
The crystallization of memory: Study reveals how practice forms new memory pathways in the brain
2024-05-15
A new study led by UCLA Health has shown that repetitive practice not only is helpful in improving skills but also leads to profound changes in the brain’s memory pathways.
The research, published in the journal Nature and co-led by Rockefeller University, sought to unravel how the brain’s ability to retain and process information, known as working memory, improves through training.
To test this, researchers tasked mice with identifying and recalling a sequence of odors over the course of two weeks. Researchers then tracked neural activity in the animals as they practiced the task by using a novel, custom-built microscope that can image cellular activity ...
Dartmouth-led study provides new insights into phage therapy design
2024-05-15
Results from a new Dartmouth-led study, involving collaborators at the University of Pittsburgh and Yale University and published in the journal PLOS Biology, are providing new insights into the therapeutic potential of bacteriophage (phage) therapy for treating diseases like cystic fibrosis (CF).
A major challenge of treating people with CF—an inherited disease that causes sticky, thick mucus to build up in the lungs—are the persistent infections the disease causes which can lead to respiratory failure and death.
“Opportunistic ...
This time, it’s personal: Enhancing patient response to cancer immunotherapy
2024-05-15
LA JOLLA (May 15, 2024)—Immunotherapy has revolutionized the way we treat cancer in recent years. Instead of targeting the tumor itself, immunotherapies work by directing patients’ immune systems to attack their tumors more effectively. This has been especially impactful in improving outcomes for certain difficult-to-treat cancers. Still, fewer than half of all cancer patients respond to current immunotherapies, creating an urgent need to identify biomarkers that can predict which patients are most likely to benefit.
Recently, scientists have noticed that patients whose tumors have a mutation in a gene called ARID1A are ...
A novel multifunctional catalyst turns methane into valuable hydrocarbons
2024-05-15
Methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes significantly towards global warming, is also an important source of energy and an essential chemical resource. When used as a chemical feedstock, methane is typically converted into methanol first and then into hydrocarbons. However, this sequential conversion requires complex industrial setups. More importantly, since methane is a very stable molecule, its conversion into methanol requires tremendous amounts of energy when using conventional means, such ...
Two decades of studies suggest health benefits associated with plant-based diets
2024-05-15
Vegetarian and vegan diets are generally associated with better status on various medical factors linked to cardiovascular health and cancer risk, as well as lower risk of cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and death, according to a new review of 49 previously published papers. Angelo Capodici and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on May 15, 2024.
Prior studies have linked certain diets with increased risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. A diet that is poor in plant products and rich in meat, refined grains, sugar, and salt is associated with higher risk of death. Reducing consumption of animal-based ...
Bluetooth tracking devices provide new look into care home quality
2024-05-15
Wearable Bluetooth devices can shed light on the care that residents of care homes are receiving and which residents are most in need of social contact, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Carl Thompson of University of Leeds, UK.
In the UK alone, nearly half a million people reside in some form of care home, including long-term care facilities, nursing homes and residential homes. There is no single reliable method that works well to evaluate care home quality, in part because care homes are complex social systems with diverse interacting groups.
In the new study, researchers tested the feasibility of collecting social network ...
Scientists want to know how the smells of nature benefit our health
2024-05-15
Spending time in nature is good for us. Studies have shown that contact with nature can lift our well-being by affecting emotions, influencing thoughts, reducing stress and improving physical health. Even brief exposure to nature can help. One well-known study found that hospital patients recovered faster if their room included a window view of a natural setting.
Knowing more about nature’s effects on our bodies could not only help our well-being, but could also improve how we care for land, preserve ecosystems and design cities, homes and parks. Yet studies on the benefits of contact with nature have typically focused primarily ...
Singing researchers find cross-cultural patterns in music and language
2024-05-15
Language and music may share evolutionary functions. Both speech and song have features such as rhythm and pitch. But are similarities and differences between speech and song shared across cultures?
To investigate this question, 75 researchers—speaking 55 languages—were recruited across Asia, Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Pacific. Among them were experts in ethnomusicology, music psychology, linguistics, and evolutionary biology. The researchers were asked to sing, perform instrumentals, ...
Killer whales breathe just once between dives, study confirms
2024-05-15
A new study has confirmed a long-held assumption: that orcas take just one breath between dives.
The researchers used drone footage and biological data from tags suction-cupped to 11 northern and southern resident killer whales off the coast of B.C. to gather information on the animals’ habits.
Whaley fun facts
Published in PLOS ONE, the study found that residents spend most of their time making shallow dives, with the majority of dives less than one minute. The longest dive recorded was 8.5 minutes, for an adult male. “Killer whales are like sprinters who don’t have the marathon endurance of blue and humpback whales to make deep and prolonged dives,” ...
Bees and butterflies on the decline in western and southern North America
2024-05-15
Bee and butterfly populations are in decline in major regions of North America due to ongoing environmental change, and significant gaps in pollinator research limit our ability to protect these species, according to a study published May 15, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Sara Souther of Northern Arizona University, US, and colleagues.
Recent research has detected declines in populations of pollinator species, sparking alarm from scientists and policymakers concerned about negative impacts on ecosystems and agriculture. These declines have been linked to various factors including climate change, habitat loss, and invasive species, but ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Oceanic life found to be thriving thanks to Saharan dust blown from thousands of kilometers away
Analysis sheds light on COVID-19-associated disease in Japan
Cooler heads prevail: New research reveals best way to prevent dogs from overheating
UC Riverside medical school develops new curriculum to address substance use crisis
Food fussiness a largely genetic trait from toddlerhood to adolescence
Celebrating a century of scholarship: Isis examines the HSS at 100
Key biomarkers identified for predicting disability progression in multiple sclerosis
Study: AI could lead to inconsistent outcomes in home surveillance
Study: Networks of Beliefs theory integrates internal & external dynamics
Vegans’ intake of protein and essential amino acids is adequate but ultra-processed products are also needed
Major $21 million Australian philanthropic investment to bring future science into disease diagnosis
Innovating alloy production: A single step from ores to sustainable metals
New combination treatment brings hope to patients with advanced bladder cancer
Grants for $3.5M from TARCC fund new Alzheimer’s disease research at UTHealth Houston
UTIA researchers win grant for automation technology for nursery industry
Can captive tigers be part of the effort to save wild populations?
The Ocean Corporation collaborates with UTHealth Houston on Space Medicine Fellowship program
Mysteries of the bizarre ‘pseudogap’ in quantum physics finally untangled
Study: Proteins in tooth enamel offer window into human wellness
New cancer cachexia treatment boosts weight gain and patient activity
Rensselaer researcher receives $3 million grant to explore gut health
Elam named as a Fellow of the Electrochemical Society
Study reveals gaps in access to long-term contraceptive supplies
Shining a light on the roots of plant “intelligence”
Scientists identify a unique combination of bacterial strains that could treat antibiotic-resistant gut infections
Pushing kidney-stone fragments reduces stones’ recurrence
Sweet success: genomic insights into the wax apple's flavor and fertility
New study charts how Earth’s global temperature has drastically changed over the past 485 million years, driven by carbon dioxide
Scientists say we have enough evidence to agree global action on microplastics
485 million-year temperature record of Earth reveals Phanerozoic climate variability
[Press-News.org] Only 20% of U.S. nonprofit hospitals invested in housing as part of the federal community benefit mandateMost hospitals addressing housing are located in cities and serve people with more significant needs, suggesting certain populations lack access to housing interventions