A multifaceted initiative addressing social drivers of health (SDOH) in the Hoosier State is moving full steam ahead after ISMA was awarded a $75,000 grant from the Physicians Foundation.

Through the project, ISMA will develop tools, resources, and data collection to support physicians across the state in their understanding of SDOH and their integration of SDOH into their medical practices as part of their regular patient care.

Prior to securing the grant in 2022, ISMA had already incorporated whole-person health into its strategic priorities and defined action steps related to SDOH. However, thanks to the award, the three-year timeline for those goals has been reduced to one year, mainly because the grant allowed ISMA to hire Michelle O’Rourke as social drivers of health project coordinator.

The initiative comes at a critical time, as Indiana has ranked between 37th and 41st in the nation for quality of health for over a decade.

ISMA plans to convene chief medical officers, physician group leaders, and independent practitioners statewide to discuss ways to address SDOH from the perspective of those at the ground level, to share ISMA’s vision and request these stakeholders' continued participation in SDOH summit meetings.

Utilizing the information gathered to expand the list of SDOH resources available across the state and the feedback provided from the summit meetings, ISMA will then offer a free online education session focused on the current landscape of known SDOH issues and barriers to improved patient outcomes in Indiana, describe best practices to incorporate SDOH into practice, and review tools available to physicians. 

ISMA will then work with physician practices that are ranked in the bottom quartile for health factors and health outcomes in Indiana to develop individualized plans to integrate a framework for addressing SDOH in their practices and connecting their patients to community-based resources. 

The focus will be on identifying barriers within their practices and their communities, recognizing new opportunities to engage patients with social services, developing a new system framework with a team-based approach, formalizing screening tools and protocols, and supporting additional education and training.   

ISMA plans to monitor progress and track successes. Lessons learned throughout the process will be communicated back to ISMA leadership as part of the strategic plan process so that further discussions can take place around any needs identified around community capacity, administrative burden and creating financial incentives.

ISMA is seeking member volunteers for an SDOH task force to explore and evaluate the present state of SDOH in Indiana, review the success and barriers physicians are experiencing, and provide recommendations as to the best tools and resources that should be developed to support providers.  The task force will meet approximately once per month. 

If you are interested in participating, please submit your information via this Microsoft Form >>

Michelle O’Rourke joins ISMA as social drivers of health project coordinator  Michelle O’Rourke has joined the ISMA staff as project coordinator for the social drivers of health project.  Working with ISMA’s Education staff, O’Rourke will be tasked with the core responsibilities of the project. The new position was created after ISMA was awarded a grant from the Physicians Foundation for the initiative. “We are thrilled to have Michelle join us at ISMA,” said Ranae Obregon, ISMA’s director of education and physician resources.  “We know that the landscape of social drivers of health resources in Indiana is complex, but with Michelle we will be able to better support physicians and develop the tools and best practices they need when caring for their patients.”  O’Rourke has worked in health care for more than 10 years and has a diverse career background, which includes positions in clinical research, project management, accreditation proficiency and CME. Most recently, O’Rourke was a clinical research assistant for the Versiti Blood Center of Indiana in Indianapolis. Other previous jobs include working at the Texas Heart Institute as a CME coordinator and education and research assistant for the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery, among others. O’Rourke has a bachelor's degree in health promotion and education/exercise physiology from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree in public health from Benedictine University (Lisle, Illinois), where she also received an epidemiology certificate. Additionally, she has earned a Six Sigma Yellow Belt certificate as well as biomedical research and good clinical practice certificates from the Versiti Blood Center of Indiana. “I am happy to begin at ISMA and ready to begin collaborating with key stakeholder groups to address current SDOH issues and barriers,” O’Rourke said. “I look forward to learning, growing and getting to know all ISMA staff.”