Victor Paz, community health advocate, MedStar Montgomery Medical Center, recognizes the value of the social needs tool.
MedStar Health takes a holistic approach to health care. During intake for medical conditions, associates also conduct screenings for issues of social need.
A series of questions are asked to determine whether outlying social concerns are impacting a patient’s health. Questions like, “Have you been unable to pay your rent? Is it often hard to afford food? Are your utilities in danger of being shut off? Has it been hard finding and keeping a job?”
Now, with the integration of a proven and effective social needs software, the answers to these questions are part of each patient’s electronic medical record, making it easier for providers to connect them with the resources necessary to fill these critical needs.
FindHelp, formerly Aunt Bertha, is an online tool used to connect patients with free or low-cost services in their community. MedStar Health began its partnership with Aunt Bertha in 2016 with the launch of MedStar Health Social Needs. This publicly accessible tool allows community members to search for various services for themselves or on behalf of neighbors, friends, or family members.
Meal delivery, ride-share programs, rent, and utility assistance are just a few of the search options available by zip code.
“The pandemic caused even more demand for resources like this,” says Raquel Lamptey, MedStar Health community health system manager. “There were patients who had lost their jobs, needed money for food and couldn’t pay rent—and we know that stressors like this impact overall health. We knew we had to find an even more streamlined way to connect them to help fast.”
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Over about 12 months—from February 2020 to February 2021—MedStar Health began integrating the FindHelp resource tool into patients’ electronic medical records. Having both a patient’s medical and social needs history available in one place ensures providers can identify any critical concerns, make appropriate referrals, and address any issues of social need head-on.
MedStar Montgomery Medical Center community health advocate Victor Paz recalls a 95-year-old patient admitted for a stroke. As part of the screen process, Paz asked the patient whether he had access to healthy food at home.
“He told me he had no transportation, no way of getting to the grocery store regularly, and was having a hard time preparing meals for himself,” says Paz. “Because of this, he ate a lot of carryout food, which has way too much sodium for someone with his health concerns.”
Using the integrated software, Paz quickly found a meal delivery service, Mom’s Meals, to provide the patient with affordable, healthy meals customized to his dietary and nutritional needs and preferences— in his case, low-sodium, heart-healthy foods.
That information is now part of the patient’s electronic medical record. The next time he visits the hospital or any other MedStar Health location, the provider can see that this need was previously identified and can follow up with the patient to see how addressing this need has made a difference in his health.
This data also helps MedStar Health understand where community needs are most significant, determine which programs have the biggest impact, and identify gaps in the social services network across the region.
“It feels good to be able to help patients in this way,” says Paz. “Having access to a tool like this helps patients know that despite any barrier that may be in your way, help is out there. And we will do what we can to assist you.”