Clinical & Quality Improvement

Poverty & Health

Poverty & Health

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, an estimated 14.5% of the U.S. population (45.3 million people) are living in poverty. Having limited resources creates competing priorities for meeting basic needs, and too often, health care is neglected in order to secure more immediate necessities such as housing and food.

While Medicaid expansion has improved access to health care for many, the shortage of affordable housing and livable wages continues to take a toll on the health of the poorest members of our communities.

The irrefutable correlation between poverty and health has precipitated new and innovative approaches to address social determinants of health in clinical practice. This page provides resources expanding on the impact of poverty on health, considerations for providing care to this population, and administrative resources related to this topic.

NHCHC Publications

Additional Resources

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