Hospitals and community health centers are the cornerstones of our communities. His AltaMed Health Services in Los Angeles and Orange County and Stanford Medicine clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area treat hundreds of thousands of people annually. Many of them are young, disabled, low-income, people of color.Too many of the people we serve are not involved in democracy. Policies at all levels of government shape our health and must change.
Recognizing this need, a growing number of US health care providers are making voter engagement a routine aspect of clinical care to reduce health inequities. 300+ institutions and 30,000+ providers has added the health of nonpartisan citizens to its checklist of ways to care for everyone, hoping that by helping people vote, we can address longstanding health disparities. By making ballots more accessible, people can better advocate for their health needs. This helps if you want to vote for people who campaign on health-related issues such as clean air, improved access to health care, women’s and children’s health, but also social determinants. health — affordable housing, food security, environmental justice, and disability accommodation.These social determinants are at most 80% of health outcomesand are equally important for promoting both individual and public health.
The health care system is well positioned to address these inequities, and federal law empowers it to do so. The National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and IRS guidance support nonpartisan voter registration by many hospitals, clinics, and other nonprofit organizations.
AltaMed is one of many examples. Heading into his 2022 primary election in California, AltaMed staff and people from local civic engagement organizations are working with his over 220,000 new and low-income individuals within a 5-mile radius of every clinic. Reached Latino voters. compared to general elections. In 2018, as part of AltaMed’s Get Out the Vote campaign, hospital staff and partner community health centers reached out to approximately 30,000 Black and Latino voters in predominantly Latino constituencies. rice field. For every 1% of voters contacted by AltaMed, 8% increase in voter turnoutt Between 2014 and 2018.
Individual providers also incorporate bipartisan conversations about voting into their clinical practice.Professionals at more than 700 hospitals and clinics across the country have used tools from our nonprofit partners to help both their colleagues and patients register to vote Like Vot-ERThey help people register without endorsing any political party, policy or candidate. You have the power to defend your health.
The COVID pandemic has highlighted how social determinants of health have been exacerbated and accentuated. influence health outcomes, and it has spurred healthcare-based efforts to increase voter turnout. August 2020, nearly 100 health and democracy partners First Civic Health Month To help people access voting resources and vote safely during presidential elections. The coalition has since grown to more than 300 partners, including professional organizations representing African physicians and people of African descent seeking health care, the American Medical Association, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. did. American Academy of Pediatrics. Additionally, over 80 medical schools have joined the Health Democracy Campaign, 15,692 people supported.
Vot-ER reports that agencies and providers used the organization’s tools to help in 2020. Over 47,000 people started to register to vote Or request a mail-in ballot. Of that number, 84% of those who completed the registration process successfully, and 85% of those who successfully registered voted in the general election. More people of color and young people than the general public voted after registering through Vot-ER.
Leading voices in healthcare are also taking action. in juneAmerican Medical Association passed a resolution Confirming that voting is a social determinant of health.US Department of Health and Human Services Rebuilt Voting as a research objective for Healthy People 2030, a framework used to measure and improve health outcomes.of The Association of American Medical Colleges has also issued guidance Encourage hospitals and medical schools to support voter access in their communities.
US life expectancy is Biggest drop in two years For nearly a century, one of the most basic ways to improve health through policy has been to make sure people can voteOur health always depends on the vote, regardless of the candidate or office running for office. From the national level to individual health workers, we must continue to take action that emphasizes voting and health as part of the same conversation. This encourages colleagues and patients to advocate for themselves and vote as our health depends on it. Because you do.
This is an opinion and analysis article and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily Scientific American.
