Taking Action on Housing as a Political Determinant of Health

This episode features a conversation between Bich Ha Pham, JD, the Director of Communications and Policy at the Healthcare Anchor Network, and Mike Koprowski, MA, Ed.M, who is the National Campaign Director at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. This is the fourth in a series of six Coffee & Science events on topics related to Alignment and Advocacy, which are the last two “A”s of the National Academy of Medicine’s framework that SIREN has used to organize Coffee & Science. Alignment and Advocacy are both about what health care can do at the community level to address social conditions. This conversation explores why and how health care organizations should engage in federal advocacy on issues like housing affordability. 

Recommended references:

• The Healthcare Anchor Network (website) 
• Healthcare Anchor Network. Principles for Health and Affordable Housing. 
• Current calls for action from the Opportunity Starts at Home campaign
• Pham BH, Zuckerman D, Fichtenberg C, Barnett K. Outside Their Comfort Zone: Health Sector Players Speaking Up for Housing Policy Change. Shelterforce. 2020.
• Counts NZ, Taylor LA, Willison CE, Galea S. Healthcare lobbying on upstream social determinants of health in the US. Prev Med. 2021.