In my 27 years working in the behavioral health field, one thing has become abundantly clear: “good health” is dependent on so much more than one’s physical condition. Biological, behavioral, social, cultural, economic and environmental factors all impact the well-being of individuals and communities. This concept, known as “population health,” focuses on a systematic effort to improve health outcomes in subpopulations that share multiple clinical and social attributes—such as women, veterans, or people who live in poverty.
Population health provides our field with a unique opportunity to encourage and influence the design and adaptation of systems of care that focus on the whole health of individuals, ultimately keeping our clients as healthy, happy, and productive as possible.
[For more of this story, written by Patrick Gauthier, go to http://www.behavioral.net/arti...ts-childhood-poverty]
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