Nurses screen every adult admitted to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital and Huntington Hospital, an affiliate of Cedars-Sinai, for five areas of health-related social needs:
- Food access
- Housing
- Transportation
- Utilities such as electricity, gas and water
- Interpersonal violence
Anyone who needs support is referred to a social worker. They try to learn more about patients’ physical, mental and emotional health by gauging independence, health literacy and if they are able to afford medical care, as well as if they use substances or are socially isolated.
“We look at every single patient who comes through our doors as a whole person,” Hren said.
Cedars-Sinai has screened almost 125,000 patients for at least one of these social drivers, connecting more than 4,700 people to care. The screening tool is now live throughout primary and outpatient care and the Emergency Department, where researchers are studying the level of need and the possibility of implementing universal screening.
