In 2021, Utah’s incoming governor Spencer Cox outlined a plan – the One Utah Roadmap – to address key priorities for the state in his first 500 days, ranging from coordinated COVID response to addressing the social determinants of health. In support of these priorities, the Governor’s office formed a working group focused on the prospect of “improving social determinants of health (SDOH) service delivery.” United Way of Salt Lake was invited to co-chair this committee in collaboration with Utah’s Department of Health and Human Services. In this blog post, I will share a summary of our experience and consider the path ahead.
The One Utah Roadmap’s SDOH working group was comprised of subject matter experts, public health officials, community-based organizations, and client advocates interested in more effectively coordinating care, sharing information, and meeting people’s needs.
We invited Greg Bloom, on behalf of Open Referral, to address the committee during our initial meeting. During that first conversation, we observed that there are a variety of efforts to facilitate the sharing of information already underway in our communities. Continue reading
