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WHAT
WE DO

Improving your health requires a holistic viewpoint that doesn't always fit into a nice neat box. "That's beyond our scope" is akin to "not my job" when it comes to health systems looking to solve problems. Our goal as an independent non-profit is to fill those gaps.

Social Determinants of Health.

The US. Department of Health and Human Services, in their Healthy People initiatives, talk about "creating social and physical environments that promote good health for all." 

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At HH, our mission is to address health concerns before they are chronic or catastrophic. We are confident that environmental conditions are highly correlated to health outcomes, and we are committed to changing these conditions.

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Case Study #1, Meet Joe:

Joe is a twenty-eight-year-old man with type 1 diabetes, living in the United States. He lacks permanent housing and has been staying in a friend’s condemned, boarded-up house. To avoid being seen there, Joe enters through the marshlands behind the house. His shoes are full of holes, but he cannot afford to replace them. Joe’s diet has similarly suffered from his lack of income; he sometimes goes several days without fresh food, which negatively affects his diabetes. Also, after a lifetime of poor blood sugar control, he is starting to lose circulation in his feet.

 

Last year, Joe had two toes removed on his right foot to save his life (hospital cost: $7,132). Still, neuropathy continues to cause him decreased sensitivity in an increased risk of trauma to his feet. The doctor he last saw emphasized the importance of keeping his feet dry, getting proper nutrition, and taking his costly insulin as prescribed, all of which Joe is eager to do. Since that appointment, Joe has been diligent in taking his insulin, but dry feet and proper nutrition remain difficult to achieve due to his living conditions and unemployment.

 

His doctor has already raised the issue of having to have more toes removed on his left foot (cost $14,430), and without immediate changes, Joe will need to have a below-the-knee amputation in the years ahead (cost: $17,347) and will likely need a wheelchair (cost: $1,042). The estimated cost of his medical expenses will top $30,000, paid by a state medical assistance program that is funded by taxpayers. Amid a system marked by the most advanced medical treatment in the world, Joe is dying a slow, painful, and expensive death. A decent pair of shoes costs $50. 

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Key Determinants of Health

Economic

Stability

Neighborhood and Physical Environment

Education

  • Employment

  • Income

  • Expenses

  • Debt

  • Medical Bills

  • Support

  • Housing

  • Transportation

  • Safety

  • Parks

  • Playgrounds

  • Walkability

  • Zip code/geography

  • Literacy

  • Language

  • Early Childhood Education

  • Vocational Training

  • Higher Education

Food

Community and Social Context

Health Care System

  • Hunger

  • Access to healthy options

  • Social Integration

  • Support Systems

  • Community Engagement

  • Discrimination

  • Stress

  • Health Coverage

  • Provider Availability

  • Provider Linguistic and Cultural Competency

  • Quality of Care

Current Initiatives

  • LITERACY

    • Financial literacy workshops​

    • CHIP chats

    • Health system literacy workshops

    • Health transparency workshops

    • Literacy resource center

  • ROUTING​​​​

    • Mental health/substance abuse referrals​

    • Foodbank referrals

    • Housing assistance referrals

    • Social worker referrals

  • ADVOCACY

    • Application to approval for Financial Assistance Programs

    • Appeals Support

    • Advanced support with PENNIE, DOH, CMS, CCIIO contacts

  • ENROLLMENT

    • No wrong door policy.

    • Medicaid/CHIP Dedicated COMPASS Access​

    • SNAP Benefits

    • LIHEAP

    • Cash Assistance

    • Major Medical/PENNIE Certified enrollers

    • Authorized representative support

    • Application to approval case support

  • TRAJECTORY MISSIONS

    • Increase diversity in STEM employment​

    • Entrepreneurship mentoring

    • Community "Little Free Library" financing and stocking

    • Support Anti-Red Lining programs to improve opportunities for oppressed communities

    • Local, state, and federal public policy advocacy

Get Help

To request help, please fill out the form below and outline your needs.

Get Involved

At Helping Health we can always use your help. Whether it is a monetary gift, sharing your time as a volunteer, or using your unique skills to help the community, we are thankful for you!

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A Few Ways We've Seen Impact

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HOUSING: 13 small businesses out of The Candy Factory partnered with us to come together in the height of COVID to raise funds and secure rental payments for servers out of work.

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ENROLLMENT: As a Community Based Organization - We've seen applications for county assistance increase tenfold from Q2 2020 to Q4 2020 due to layoffs in and around the county.

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ADVOCACY: A constituent in New Jersey had a premature baby born and immediately rushed to the NICU for 4 months. $750,000 in medical bills were forwarded to the family because between the birth and discharge the hospital system and insurer stopped working together causing the whole visit to be "out of network" for the family. We were able to get power of attorney for healthcare and negotiated between both parties to have all claims covered in-network helping the family not be saddled with debt.

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Where we need help

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DONATIONS:

 

 

 

INDIVIDUAL REFERRALS: Our impact in the community is directly tied to our footprint. If individuals don't realize a Nonprofit Advocate is available in the community, they may be faced with frustration going it alone. They don't have to.

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SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS: With recent Transparency regulations, there are APIs readily available for literacy initiatives to shop for medication costs and curb medical costs in general. We are looking to build open-source systems to make these tools available to the public. We need developers willing to help.  

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MARKETING/PR PROFESSIONALS: With individual referrals, effective marketing and communications can make a world of difference. If you are a graphic designer excited by our cause, we'd love help on developing materials. 

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SMALL BUSINESSES: Schedule employee workshops to educate your teams on what solutions are available to them.

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CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTERS: Arrange a CHIP Chat for parents to break down the importance of quality coverage for the children in your center!

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SYSTEM REFERRALS:

  • Non-Profits - The more connected we are in the community, the more solutions we can route to the right person(s). 

  • Health Systems - We've seen a world of difference in resolving issues when we have the right person working on a problem. Anecdotally a phone call to Medicare customer service routinely gives us the runaround and no solution to the problem. However, calling our contact Patty at the CMS Ombudsman office get's a complex problem fixed in 2 hours and a phone call back to us to confirm the problem was fixed. With health systems, we are looking for the same contacts.

  • Lenders - If we are going to end red-lining activities that have survived all of these years, then we believe it starts at the Lenders adjusting eligibility policies for credit. Referrals to lenders help this initiative.

  • Caseworkers - Sometimes a smooth handoff to a caseworker at LGH is just what a constituent needs to resolve a mental health or substance abuse issue. Having contacts on hand is important to us and in our initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of the community.

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Get Involved

Can you help us on our mission? Thank you! Fill out this form below so that we can start the conversation!

SDOH
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