Washington

The Innovations Fund

Phases: 2019, 2020

Taking Action to Address the Social Determinants of Health in Washington

Project Description:

2020:

Overview

The National Alliance for Filipino Concerns (NAFCON-WA) oversaw the “Bayanihan Response to COVID-19″ project to address health and wellness issues in the Filipino American Community in King County. The three-pronged project included:

  • establishing the Telephone Tree Program to reach high-need senior members,
  • participating in the International Drop-in Center (IDIC) Grocery and Meal Delivery Program for high-need Filipino families, and
  • creating and distributing a Community Wellness Survey and hosting focus groups to determine community needs and establish appropriate interventions.

Summary of completed project

The IDIC Grocery and Meal Delivery Program continues to be successful, mobilizing volunteers to help deliver culturally appropriate meals to high-need Filipino members of the community. Since April 2020, over 20,280 meals and 75,000 pounds of groceries were distributed to 150 elders who are clients of the IDIC.

The partnership with the Filipino Community Health Board (FCHB) was strengthened through this project and the collaboration on work revolving around health and wellness issues for Filipino community members in the Seattle-King County area. Additionally, through partnerships with FCHB and Seattle University College of Nursing, NAFCON-WA was able to recruit three nursing student interns to work on this project, two of which were assigned leadership roles related to the Community Wellness Survey.

Capacity was a challenge for the project, especially since NAFCON-WA relied on volunteers and members. However, the IDIC Meal Delivery Program was very successful, and plans are underway to continue this program.

Outcomes

Through partnerships with other community organizations, NAFCON-WA was successful in their execution of the IDIC Meal Delivery Program and continues to partner with these agencies in other relevant work. They continue to work on the other deliverables.

2019:

Overview

The Washington Action Coalition built on previous research showing Washington nurses are eager to promote a Culture of Health in their communities but want additional guidance around implementation. They focused on working with motivated health care facilities in the state to create action plans for nurses to address the social determinants of health (SDOH) at the point of care, and to track key performance indicators following the implementation of these action plans.

Summary of completed project

The Washington Center for Nursing collaborated with Virginia Mason Franciscan Health to identify and track key performance indicators for implementing a systematic approach to screening for SDOH. The implementation of the SDOH screening tool started as a pilot and was expanded to additional units. Involving front-line nurses was key to the success of the project, which led to the development of tools, resources and training aimed at strengthening staff skills on leading SDOH conversations with patients. Ongoing feedback resulted in the increased usability and sustainability of the tool.

With many facilities focused on the pandemic of 2020, the Action Coalition decided to scale back the project to focus on one key partner rather than multiple partners. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health shared data on key indicators and monitored progress on the implementation of the tool and the effect on patients’ health.

Outcomes

A public use SDOH assessment tool was adapted based on feedback from front-line staff. The tool was then expanded to additional units within the hospital and translated to other languages. Based on feedback from staff about their comfort level using the assessment tool, additional resources and trainings were developed to aid them in conversations with patients on SDOH. Ultimately, the identification of key indicators and data from this project provided staff with information that may otherwise have gone unknown and allowed them the opportunity to create individualized interventions to improve health outcomes.