Integrating social care into health care delivery: Health-related social needs assessment and intervention

The class will guide social workers in exploring opportunities to integrate social needs screening and interventions into routine medical care delivery in a variety of healthcare settings. Several teaching modalities will be used in the course including didactic exercises, case studies, group discussion, and audiovisual mediums. Social workers will become familiar with several HRSN screening tools that can be thoughtfully analyzed for application into their own clinical settings. With the changing face of healthcare in the electronic age, innovative opportunities to engage with health informatics and data management will be woven throughout the course material. Completion of this class will result in the receipt of two (2) continuing education hours.

The class is a critical learning opportunity to professionalize the social work discipline in complex, health care structures. The class supports social workers in the assessment, understanding, and intervention of the multifaceted social and environmental factors that contribute to patient health outcomes and acute care utilization. These activities are impactful in improving and addressing social needs within patient care and further demonstrate the value of social workers in a variety of clinical healthcare settings.