Intermountain Healthcare committed a $12 million charitable contribution to support the Alliance’s three-year demonstration. Additional funders include Zions Bank and the Dr. Ezekiel R. and Edna Wattis Dumke Foundation. The funds are being used to address gaps in meeting social needs, build community infrastructure, and support community partners in coordinating care. Funding decisions are made by a committee of local community partners and state stakeholders.
In the fall of 2017, Intermountain’s President and Chief Executive Officer, Marc Harrison, MD shared a ride from the Chicago airport with former Utah Governor Mike Leavitt. As they chatted, they discovered they were working on many of the same problems: what are the best ways to help vulnerable people live healthier lives? “He asked me why I returned to Intermountain Healthcare after 20 years away,” said Dr. Harrison. “I told him I felt Intermountain was a model health system for the people we serve, and that our presence really, truly helps us understand community members in ways other people can’t. The Alliance for the Determinants of Health is the result of that conversation.”
Intermountain Healthcare’s role in the Alliance for the Determinants of Health also includes:
- Leading the convening of local and statewide stakeholders to form the advisory and governance bodies of demonstration.
- Implementing screening for social determinants in hospital and clinic settings in the Alliance geographies.
- Educating and training Intermountain caregivers about how to identify social needs among patients and connect them to community resources.
- Coordinating data and evaluation process including a national evaluator for the demonstration.
- Coordinating the selection and implementation of a digital platform and purchasing of licensures for community-based organizations.