What We’re Building: Insights from the 2024 Rise SDoH Policy Forum
Posted by Rafat Fields
Washington, D.C. | December 2024
The third annual Rise Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) Policy Forum arrived at a pivotal moment for public health. With a new administration on the horizon and policy uncertainty in the air, this gathering didn’t just inform—it fortified. It was a space to reflect, recalibrate, and reimagine how we advance equity, not just in theory, but in real systems, relationships, and communities.
What follows is a synthesis of the themes, frameworks, and frontline truths that shaped this year’s convening.
Why It Mattered
Health doesn’t start in hospitals. It starts in stable housing, dignified work, clean air, and trusted relationships. This forum named what many of us know: health equity work happens at the intersection of policy, practice, and people—and the path forward demands we build bridges across all three.
This year’s forum became a safe harbor in a shifting political tide. Leaders from the White House, state agencies, advocacy coalitions, and community-rooted orgs gathered to ask hard questions:
How do we protect and expand gains under a new administration?
What models are working—and how do we scale them?
Where must we listen more deeply?
What We Heard in the Room
🩺 Federal Priorities Are Shifting—But So Are the Tools
Jessica Schubel (Special Assistant to the President for Healthcare) highlighted new federal investments: $325M toward housing and health, capped insulin costs, and increased Medicaid access to home-based care. The CMS “SDoH Playbook” released in late 2023 reflects a future orientation toward flexible funding and community resource alignment.
🧭 Policy Is the Terrain—Community Is the Compass
We heard from initiatives like:
Community Care Cooperative (MA) integrating HRSNs through a Medicaid 1115 Waiver.
Green & Healthy Homes (MD) aligning environmental justice with energy-efficient housing.
Emergence Health Network (TX) linking behavioral health to SDoH access via CHWs and the 988 crisis line.
Each of these demonstrated the same truth: when policy honors local wisdom, outcomes shift.
Frameworks to Watch
🔄 Section 1115 & ILOS Waivers
States like Oregon, California, New York, and Arizona are redefining Medicaid delivery by blending housing, behavioral health, and nutrition supports into reimbursable services. These models show that SDoH is not an add-on—it’s the infrastructure of whole-person care.
🔗 Interoperability & Tech Equity
Platforms like UniteUs and NCCARE360 were named repeatedly as crucial for linking providers, hospitals, and CBOs. Still, concerns around access, data standardization, and security remain, especially for smaller organizations navigating evolving security standards.
Messages That Landed
Stories > Stats: Data must move hearts, not just budgets. Several speakers reminded us that policy is moved by narrative. Show the cost savings, but center the people.
Bipartisanship is not dead—just reframed: Frame SDoH in terms of cost reduction, chronic disease prevention, and wellness. In a polarized Congress, language matters.
CHWs are frontline infrastructure: The future of navigation lies in trusted messengers who understand the local landscape and the lived experience.
The Road Ahead
We're entering a policy cycle that will test both our strategy and our stamina. Changes in federal leadership may bring shifts in funding, vocabulary, and visibility—but the work doesn’t stop.
To Watch:
Rising importance of whole-child health initiatives
Medicaid waivers as levers for innovation
Storytelling as an advocacy tool
Coalition-building across public-private divides
To Do:
Study Medicare Advantage and Medicaid transitions
Share case studies and human impact evidence
Connect grassroots organizers with grasstops advocates
Join the Work
This forum affirmed what Powered to Rise believes: advancing health equity will require the best from each of us. Leveraging our unique expertise and lived experiences. Sharing intelligence. As we prepare for 2025 and beyond, we’re building out ways for more of our community to attend, analyze, and author these briefings. We're investing in this infrastructure because we understand that the people closest to the problem are often the best partners to develop solutions.
🔗 Join the H.E.A.L. Community
🔗 Explore Rise Healthy Communities Summit 2025 Registration
