The Social Needs Investment Lab: A partnership to provide health equity insights
A person’s health and wellbeing are influenced by numerous individual and community factors, beyond medical care. To improve the health of people and communities, we need to look more holistically at all factors and credibly measure their impact. Using reliable research tools and evidence, we can evaluate which solutions are most likely to drive improvement in overall health and wellbeing.
The Social Needs Investment Lab: A partnership to provide actionable health equity insights is a collaboration between Elevance Health and HealthBegins to provide a diverse array of healthcare stakeholders with actionable insights and tools to make sense of evidence related to health equity and health-related social needs investments.
Healthcare systems, managed care plans, and community-based organizations are increasingly accountable for addressing social drivers of health and reducing health inequities. This collaboration will provide the evidence-based insights necessary to help each stakeholder make informed, impactful and cost-effective investments in solutions to improve the health of the individuals and communities they serve.
What is the Social Needs Investment Lab?
The Social Needs Investment Lab (The Lab) takes a unique approach to improving population health outcomes by providing healthcare and community leaders with evidence-based insights into health equity and social needs investments. The initiative aims to enhance investments in interventions and solutions that address and mitigate the impact of unmet social needs—which are caused by upstream social, institutional, or structural causes that often drive poorer health outcomes and health disparities.
Insights will be publicly shared via an online curated evidence assessment library which will host items such as health-related social needs evidence assessments, case studies, and forums to facilitate dialogue about health equity and social needs investments. The Lab is not just a resource, it’s a catalyst for change.
“Now more than ever, healthcare leaders need more than research studies – they need actionable insights into the potential costs, value and impact of health equity and social needs interventions in their own settings. Through the Social Needs Investment Lab, HealthBegins and Elevance Health will convene healthcare and community leaders to understand emerging evidence and better assess these interventions across a range of health, economic, and social outcomes. This is a key step towards integrating health and social care – equitably and sustainably – and to elevating the health of our nation.”
– Dr. Rishi Manchanda, CEO, HealthBegins
“By providing actionable insights through the Social Needs Investment Lab, the partnership between Elevance Health and HealthBegins equips healthcare and community leaders with the evidence-based tools needed to address social determinants of health and invest in solutions that foster health equity. Together, we are committed to creating healthier lives and stronger communities by integrating health equity into the core of population health strategies.”
– Dr. Shantanu Agrawal, Chief Health Officer, Elevance Health
Who should use the Social Needs Investment Lab?
This collaborative platform is for everyone with an interest in improving individual and community health through collectively addressing the social drivers of health, for example:
- managed care organizations
- healthcare systems
- employers
- community-based organizations
- social service providers
The Social Needs Investment Lab website launched in November 2024, featuring a regularly updated Evidence Assessment Library.
The Lab will launch with its first set of assessments and steadily expand. It will feature a curated library of research on interventions that address health-related social needs and will synthesize utilization, cost, social, and health outcome findings. Each assessment will highlight strategies to support populations who are most impacted, such as Medicaid and Medicare enrollees. As the library grows in the coming months, users can expect to access a comprehensive resource for evidence-based social needs interventions.
Preview two Evidence Assessments now for insights into how social needs interventions can drive better health outcomes!
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Community Gardens to Reduce Food Insecurity & Improve Health Outcomes (PDF) |
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