The Salud America! action pack, titled “How to Start Screening for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health (NMDoH),” has achieved a significant milestone by being featured in two prominent resource databases. These databases are designed to assist healthcare systems, hospitals, and clinics in implementing effective screening and referral processes to address the critical social and environmental factors influencing patient wellness.
The comprehensive resource is now cataloged in the University of California, San Francisco’s national database, known as the Social Interventions Research & Evaluation Network (SIREN). Additionally, the action pack has been integrated into Rice University’s Texas-focused database, Evidence-to-Practice for Non-Medical Drivers of Health (E2 Practice NMDOH). These inclusions highlight the growing recognition of the tool’s utility in helping medical providers bridge the gap between traditional clinical care and the everyday realities patients face outside the examination room.
Created by Dr. Amelie G. Ramirez at UT Health San Antonio, the action pack provides healthcare teams with practical tools designed to launch or refine screening protocols within their facilities. The kit includes a conversation-starting model email, a comprehensive fact sheet, a checklist to guide the development of screening programs, and a detailed review of existing screening instruments. By making these resources widely available through trusted academic and research networks, the initiative aims to accelerate the adoption of NMDoH evaluations across diverse healthcare landscapes.
Why Do We Need Screening for the Non-Medical Drivers of Health?
For decades, modern medicine has focused heavily on treating acute symptoms and managing chronic conditions within the four walls of a clinic or hospital. However, public health experts increasingly emphasize that clinical care accounts for only a fraction of a person’s overall health outcomes. The vast majority of health and well-being is shaped by external conditions, commonly referred to as non-medical drivers of health. These encompass a broad range of socioeconomic and environmental factors, including reliable access to stable housing, safe and dependable transportation, and consistent sources of nutritious food.
When patients struggle to secure these fundamental human needs, managing medical conditions becomes exceptionally difficult. A patient struggling with food insecurity may find it impossible to adhere to a specialized diabetic diet, while someone facing housing instability or lack of transportation may repeatedly miss critical follow-up appointments and specialist visits.
To truly improve patient and community health, healthcare systems must actively identify and help address these foundational barriers. This is precisely where screening for non-medical drivers of health plays a transformative role.
NMDoH screening typically involves a structured questionnaire administered to patients in a healthcare setting. These assessments are carefully designed to help providers identify unmet social needs, such as financial hardship, housing precarity, food shortages, and utility shut-off risks. Once these needs are identified through screening, patients can be directly connected to helpful community-based resources and support services that address the root causes of their vulnerability.
Within the healthcare setting, implementing NMDoH screening allows systems, hospitals, and community health centers to identify and address health-related social needs at the individual patient level. Beyond direct patient assistance, adopting these screening frameworks offers numerous institutional and systemic benefits, ranging from improved chronic disease management to stronger partnerships with local community organizations. Healthcare institutions across the country—such as Nemours Children’s Health, various Federally Qualified Health Centers, and pediatric care systems in major metropolitan areas like Dallas—have already demonstrated how integrating social needs screening into routine workflows can fundamentally enhance care delivery and improve family well-being.
How Does This Action Pack Help You Start Screening for Non-Medical Drivers of Health in Healthcare?
Translating the concept of social screening into daily clinical practice can often feel overwhelming for healthcare administrators, physicians, and staff who are already managing demanding patient volumes. The action pack developed by Salud America! is specifically structured to demystify this process and provide a clear pathway for implementation.
Led by Dr. Ramirez, the action pack represents a collaborative initiative from the Salud America! national health communication program and the ACS Avanzando Salud Center at the Institute for Health Promotion Research at UT Health San Antonio. The materials are crafted to assist healthcare teams at every stage of development, whether they are launching a brand-new screening initiative or refining an existing program to better serve their patient population.
To support clinics through the implementation process, the initiative offers additional hands-on backing, including technical assistance from designated Salud America! action pack coaches. These coaches are available to help healthcare teams customize advocacy and operational materials, navigate institutional challenges, and answer logistical questions regarding workflow integration.
Dr. Ramirez emphasizes that the ultimate goal of these screening tools is to extend the reach of healthcare teams beyond traditional boundaries, offering a clearer window into the daily lives of the people they serve.
“Screening for the non-medical drivers of health can help clinicians and non-clinicians identify patients’ immediate needs outside the doctor’s office,” Dr. Ramirez said. “This gives insight into patients’ real-world experiences, which helps referrals to relevant community resources.”
