Dear John,

On Thursday, February 22, you are invited to join Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil when he welcomes back to Policy Spotlight Micky Tripathi, the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Find out more about the event and register below!

Findings From A Primary Care–Based Housing Program

 –In the February 2024 Housing & Health issue of Health Affairs, MaryCatherine Arbour of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and coauthors examine the results of a primary–care based housing program in Boston, Massachusetts.

In 2018, Brigham Health in Boston, Massachusetts, developed a social care program for their parents who were experiencing homelessness or housing instability.

The researchers find that those enrolled in the program had “2.5 fewer primary care visits and 4.6 visits per year compared with those who were not enrolled, including fewer social work, behavioral health, psychiatry, and urgent care visits.”

Patients in the program experienced improved physical and mental health outcomes, and had 2.5 fewer primary care visits and 3.6 fewer outpatient visits per year compared with those who were not enrolled. Enrollees also reported fewer social work, behavioral health, psychiatry, and urgent care visits.

Arbour and coauthors suggest that health–care based housing interventions have the potential to address health disparities more broadly.

Community & State is the business segment of UnitedHealthcare that provides health care coverage for the economically disadvantaged, the medically underserved and those without the benefit of employer-funded health plans. These state-based health plans meet local needs, while leveraging the national resources of UnitedHealthcare.

Ingrid Gould Ellen on Advancing Health Equity at the Neighborhood Level

Health Affairs' Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interviews Ingrid Gould Ellen of the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service on how neighborhood environments can affect health and health equity. The discussion also considers how interventions at the neighborhood level could advance health equity.

Toward Maternity Care APMs That Improve Outcomes And Equity

Carol Sakala and Megan Burns

There are still a few days left to submit an application for the 2024–2025 Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees cohort!

Applications are open until this Thursday, February 15, 2024.

The purpose of the Fellowship is to increase the quantity and quality of manuscripts published by early-career researchers interested in addressing health inequities among underserved racial and ethnic populations, while cultivating future health equity research leaders.

In the program, fellows will receive multilayered mentorship from experienced Health Affairs authors and editorial staff for eighteen months (July 2024–December 2025).