Research suggests that what goes on in a doctor’s office is responsible for about 20 percent of a person’s health outcomes. For the rest, the main factors determining a person’s health are determined by personal behavior and the conditions and circumstances in which that person lives. These factors have more influence on the health of an individual. These conditions are called the social determinants of health and include items such as access to food and health services, education and employment, environmental conditions, income, housing (including quality housing) and personal relationships.

To improve individual health outcomes, improve the well-being of the wider community, and control the rising costs of medical treatment, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services has launched a statewide initiative to combat these. social determinants of health. DHS manages both the Medicaid program and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for Pennsylvania.

They created a regional approach to this effort. Berks County is included in a regional health council along with twelve other counties in the Lehigh Valley and south-central parts of the Commonwealth. This council took a closer look at some of the challenges facing Berks County, particularly in the town of Reading. These include sufficient access to food, older housing stock, significant lead exposure (mainly through lead paint), access to transport, and access to broadband and telemedicine services. The incidence of diabetes, obesity, mental health issues and opioid addiction is higher in some parts of our community.

The leaders of this regional effort will discuss their findings and describe strategies that could be implemented to address these issues.

Join us for this important community forum. And we hope you will join us for these other events:

• The next show in Spotlight Series: CollegeTowne and BCTV, Monday, October 25^e at 1 pm
• Our next community forum on November 18^e at 11:30 am on transit-oriented development. As the possibility of a passenger train service to Reading becomes more real, what lessons can we learn from other communities about the development opportunities this will bring.

Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZApdemppj8pHNArQtclo8jJGoFTqNDfLL6E

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about whether to join the meeting.