State policy considerations for addressing unmet social needs in the pediatric setting

Background. In May 2021, PolicyLab at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) virtually convened more than 30 experts from across the United States for a workshop on state policy levers to address unmet social needs in the pediatric setting. This workshop grew out of a PolicyLab issue brief focused on ensuring that screening for unmet social needs in the pediatric setting is both family-centered and effective. The goal of the workshop was to advance a set of policy recommendations that can be used in varying state contexts to design policy related to addressing unmet social need in pediatric settings.    

This summary of that discussion lays out considerations for the development of state policies focused on screening, documentation and financing of social care interventions. It is PolicyLab’s intention to use this resource as the basis for policy recommendations related to addressing unmet social needs in the pediatric health care setting more specific to our state context(s), and that others may do the same.