Authors

  1. Gray, Mikel L.
  2. Beuscher, Tara

Article Content

In his View From Here guest commentary, Professor Timothy Porter O'Grady describes his experiences establishing and nurturing a robust and thriving model for providing foot and nail care services to an extraordinarily vulnerable population, homeless individuals living on the streets of Atlanta, Georgia. In addition to reading about the birth and growth of this groundbreaking program, we wish to call out their recognition and skillful incorporation of multiple Social Determinants of Health on the problems they encountered and their broader influence on the overall health of their patients. Social Determinants of Health can be broadly defined as economic and social factors that influence individual and group differences in health status.1 Major social determinants include economic stability, social and community context, education, neighborhood, and access to health care. Insights and sensitivity into the influence of Social Determinants of Health are incorporated throughout Dr Porter-O'Grady's commentary, from creating a seamless network of care involving 2 local facilities with the point-of-care service provided by the first-line and wound/foot care specialty practice nurses, to the more fundamental and poignant identification of lack of proper shoes, socks, and access to bathing facilities as root causes of the foot and nail problems they encounter, to the psychiatrist's recognition of the impact of foot and nail care on the mental health of these vulnerable patients. In addition to reading this profound and moving commentary, we encourage you to spend additional time considering the impact of the Social Determinants of Health in our practice, along with the insights and strategies you use to improve both WOC and overall health of the patients you see on a daily basis!

 

REFERENCE

 

1. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Social Determinant of Health. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-o. Accessed December 3, 2020. [Context Link]