ALBANY — The NY StateWide Senior Action Council is looking for small community-based organizations from around the Capital Region interested in addressing social determinants of health. The group is organizing a regional consortium that, with the help of a state Department of Health grant, will offer free training and technical assistance to certain nonprofits that provide shelter, food, job readiness, peer support and other services that affect a person’s health but are not a usual part of the medical care system.
These areas — housing, employment, food security — are what’s known as social determinants of health, and there’s a growing push among traditional hospitals and health systems to address them. The consortium’s goal, officials say, is to train nonprofits that may be interested in contracting with health systems in areas such as information technology, data collection and analysis, communication, performance metrics, contract negotiations and corporate compliance. Participating organizations will also have access to consultants who can help them build individualized business development plans
Participation is free, but is limited to nonprofit, community-based organizations with budgets under $5 million, that do not currently bill Medicaid, and that deliver non-medical services that improve health. They must be located in the following counties: Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga and Schenectady.
The first meeting will be held this Friday, March 8, at 10 a.m. at the University at Albany Alumni House. Interested organizations should contact Gail Myers, deputy director of the council, at 518-436-1006.