Samuel T. Opoku, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Community Health, Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health, Georgia Southern University. Dr. Opoku received his Ph.D. in Health Services Research Administration and Policy from The University of Nebraska Medical Center. Throughout his life in academia, Dr. Opoku’s research has sought to generate actionable evidence that would improve the health and healthcare access of disadvantaged populations through stakeholder engagement and the use of innovative research methods. He has disseminated his work through publications in reputable journals, policy briefs and technical reports, and presentations at several scientific and practice conferences as well as to state and local community leaders and policymakers. His current research efforts center around health delivery system improvement, particularly in rural settings.
Collectively, regulatory pressures, organizational strategy, and market forces influenced Medicaid Managed Care Organization’s efforts to address social determinants of health, leading to a normalization of their role in addressing members' social needs within a medical paradigm.
Among Medicaid Managed Care Organizations, the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the importance of addressing member social needs, and the need for broader consideration of what constitutes social determinants of health from a health care delivery standpoint.
Lessons learned and promising practices shared by participants fell under four themes: member-centeredness, community-centeredness, structured yet adaptable social determinants of health programming, and realigning systems for whole-person care.
Effective social determinants of health programming requires flexibility, agility, and a continuous improvement mindset to transition to whole-person care.