Addressing Health Drivers
The social, behavioral, economic and structural drivers of health — the things in a life like relationships, eating habits, financial resources and access to services that contribute to what we call the health ecosystem — matter as much to a person’s health as visits to the doctor or stays in the hospital.
Dell Medical School is committed to innovating to address these drivers of health in a number of ways.
Areas of Focus
Dell Med’s Factor Health program supports the development and sustainable funding of interventions that address the nonmedical drivers of health. The school is also working with partners to identify areas of shared interest for a community impact project and to embed “health in all policies” where it can influence government and private industry to do so.
In places like People’s Community Clinic, Dell Med is creating mechanisms to facilitate data sharing so organizations working in health can benefit from each other’s knowledge. Teams are also working on ways to leverage existing data to help doctors identify risk factors that will help them better care for their patients.
Dell Med is building community engagement programs to get input from those who have been most challenged in getting and staying healthy — and to put that input to work, often in partnership with other community-serving organizations. The school’s Community-Driven Initiatives program seeks to support and implement health solutions proposed by and for residents of Austin and Central Texas communities.
In addition, Dell Med is partnering with state and federal agencies to advance value-based health care initiatives and local projects aimed at rewarding value or improving the health of groups of people.