The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age. They include factors like socioeconomic status, education, neighborhood and physical environment, employment, access to health care and social support networks. Prior to the pandemic, counties across the country were implementing a variety of initiatives to address social determinants of health both in health and broader non-health sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated already existing health disparities for a broad range of populations, but especially for people of color.

For the first Healthy Counties Advisory Board (Board) meeting of the year, we will welcome our 2021-2022 Board leadership and members and engage in a discussion on the social determinants of health and how we can improve our residents’ health by understanding and implementing policy focused on filling gaps in social needs. All NACo members are welcome to attend!