CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Healthstat, Inc., a leading provider of onsite, nearsite, shared and virtual employer-sponsored health centers, announced today the launch of its Social Justice in Health initiative to advance equity for patients, employees and surrounding communities. The initiative is built on three pillars: Social Determinants of Health (SDoH); Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I); and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).
Under the SDoH pillar, Healthstat has partnered with Aunt Bertha, a software program that connects people to social services in their community. Aunt Bertha will be integrated into Healthstat’s electronic medical record (EMR) database, allowing Healthstat physicians to identify at the point of care the social determinants of health that may be impacting a patient’s health, such as access to safe housing and parks, nutritious food, transportation, education and economic stability. Awareness of and visibility into these factors allows Healthstat care providers to develop a prioritized list of referral agencies and employer-based programs that can address the patient’s most pressing needs.
“To us, social justice in health means pairing the social determinants of health with actionable efforts to advance equity, to ensure everyone has the opportunity to attain their highest level of health,” said Crockett Dale, CEO of Healthstat. “We’re excited to be the first employer-sponsored health center provider to work with Aunt Bertha to empower patients and provide tailored care that targets their steepest barriers. Through this focused effort, we hope to deliver better, more equitable health outcomes for every one of our client’s workforces.”
Healthstat plans to implement the Aunt Bertha software by the end of August 2020, beginning with a pilot in three health centers and expanding to all health centers nationally within six months.
The remaining pillars of Healthstat’s Social Justice in Health initiative are DE&I and CSR to support Healthstat employees and health center communities, respectively. Healthstat’s internal committee, which has been established to lead efforts on all three pillars, will develop internal DE&I programs for Healthstat employees and external philanthropic efforts for Healthstat’s surrounding communities. The committee will also source counsel and guidance from Healthstat’s Strategic Advisory Council as well as external thought leaders in healthcare and social justice.
“Beyond advancing equitable care to our clients and their employees, we recognize there’s work to be done to advance equity within our own workforce and in the communities we serve,” adds Dale. “We will hold ourselves accountable to these commitments to effect meaningful, systemic change and look forward to the partnerships that will help us in that journey.”
ABOUT HEALTHSTAT:
Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Healthstat is a leading provider of onsite and virtual primary care, health-risk intervention, chronic care management and occupational medicine in employer facilities. Healthstat offers a nationally recognized, proprietary healthcare delivery model that centers on patient engagement to improve health and productivity and lower healthcare costs for employers and their employees. In 2019, Healthstat announced a 5-year agreement with Johns Hopkins HealthCare, LLC to market, license and implement employee health programs developed by Johns Hopkins Medicine. For more information, visit www.healthstatinc.com.
