Social Prescribing USA – December Newsletter

Social Prescribing USA’s December 2024 newsletter is out!

Social Prescribing Program Spotlight: Kenji Health

Kenji Health amplifies the impact of social prescribing by giving organizations the tools to measure outcomes, map local resources, and personalize experiences.

DIRECTOR’S CUT: Update from our Executive Director, Dr. Alan Siegel

Social Prescribing USA Co-founder, Dr. Alan Siegel, has transitioned into the new Executive Director for Social Prescribing USA.

COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE PROGRAM SPOTLIGHT: Keralty Compassionate Communities

This month, we  are introducing a new feature: profiles of organizations and individuals leading social prescribing efforts at the local level throughout the country. These profiles are drawn from Social Prescibing USA's Community of Practice, a network of social...

Social Prescribing USA – October 2024 Newsletter

This newsletter is the Social Prescribing USA Public Town Square - a central place to catalyze our growing movement in the U.S Insights from SPUSA and out network, important events, philosophy on advancing the movement, important articles, plus updates on the rapidly...

Introduction to Social Prescribing: Our new webinar series kicks off! Click for video link

New webinar series launching on October 8th!

Social Prescribing USA Receives Award from Kids and Arts Foundation

Social Prescribing USA awarded the Kids & Art Foundation 2024 Amaeyzing Visionary Award

Social Health: Why Connection is Essential to Wellness – Program recap and video

Highlights from Fall kickoff event on social health on September 5th in Mill Valley, CA

“Join or Die” Documentary Screenings Nationwide on September 15th!

A new, nationwide effort to encourage in-person gatherings around independent film launches on September 15th with screenings of Join or Die.

Canada’s Social Prescribing Conference: The First North American Social Prescribing Conference!

The first social prescribing conference in North America is coming!

1Social Prescribing USA is the principle American hub for the growing movement calling for the use of the arts, volunteerism, nature, and local community organizations as medicine for patients of all ages.

Social prescribing considers social health as important to a patient’s health as physical and mental health, and is a key tool to address the loneliness epidemic and the social determinants of health. We believe the use of our own community resources as medicine is one of the next big ideas in health care in the U.S., as it is in 30+ other countries around the World.

Social Prescribing USA serves as a national voice for the field, supporting critically-needed research, connecting local organizations engaged with this work, identifying best practices,and building a national group of implementers, including physicians, to put into practice and promote social prescribing across the country in a range of medical settings.

What is Social Prescribing

In social prescribing practice, health professionals ‘prescribe’ their patients to connect with a trained worker who assesses the patients and asks, ‘What matters to you?’ Together, they make a plan, and the worker provides individualized connections to local services, community-based organizations, and local community groups. These referrals can also happen from the community itself.

Our Major Priorities

01

Curating and sharing the latest research and news on social prescribing

Curious? We’ve compiled the latest media, research, and resources on the Social Prescribing movement. Whether you’re looking to take charge of your health or integrate a new program in your practice, you can start here. 

02

Prioritizing policy development & advocacy

We plan to work with local, regional, and national government agencies to build social prescribing into larger systems.

 

03

Building a community around patient-centered care

Join a community of implementers – academics, healthcare workers, nonprofit leaders and technologists at the front lines of social wellness. Monthly social prescribing virtual events are a space to learn, connect, and share ideas. If you’re interested in bringing social prescribing to your practice, campus or neighborhood, we’d love to hear from you!

04

Defining and professionalizing the field & capacity building

We will work to help build social prescribing into healthcare systems and medical education and training.

 

05

Bringing practitioners together at convenings and conferences

We have started to bring the 9 sectors of social prescribing together so we can move this work forward in the complexity of the U.S. healthcare system.