Scranton is ground zero for health reform

Part III of a 3-part 'Social Determinants of Health' Series

As healthcare leaders, we can’t wait for Washington, D.C. to figure out health reform. Health reform is already underway in Scranton, Pennsylvania. We’re taking a radical approach to transform the health of that entire community. 

Geisinger has convened dozens of local partners, along with national and global experts, for a bold population health initiative called Springboard Healthy Scranton. Together, we’re focusing on preventive care, behavioral health and economic growth. We want to see Scranton become the healthiest city in the country. Ultimately, our goal is to create sustainable solutions here that can be replicated in the other communities we serve and nationwide. 

I had the opportunity to layout our vision last January at the StartUp Health Festival in San Francisco. Many of the nation’s top healthcare innovators in attendance are now helping us make this happen. 

Scranton is an ideal place to launch Springboard Health. Like so many post-industrial American cities, Scranton has a population that struggles with diabetes, obesity and behavioral health issues. Economic obstacles like lack of industry and sustainable living wages are compounded by food insecurity, especially in those neighborhoods with food deserts, where it’s hard to get fresh, non-processed foods. The city has higher-than-average rates of smoking, drinking and drug addiction, including a raging opioid epidemic. If you think that sounds like many other parts of the United States, you’re right. 

This bundle of issues we call the social determinants of health are to blame for a huge portion of preventable disease and premature death. We don’t want to wait for patients to come to us once they’re sick. Geisinger is working with an incredibly committed group of local stakeholders to get to the core of these issues. 

It’s in the early stages, but we’re rolling out three critical programs soon that we’re confident will help manage and alleviate chronic medical conditions, detect and deal with inherited diseases, and address the epidemic of opioid addiction. 

Scranton is in Lackawanna County where one in seven people has diabetes and one in seven is food insecure. In 2018, we’ll roll out the Fresh Food Pharmacy that I talked about in part II of this series to provide fresh, healthy food to patients with type 2 diabetes and their families. We expect to see the same outstanding results in Scranton that we’ve had in Shamokin. 

We’re also making it easier for Scranton residents to join MyCode, Geisinger’s unprecedented community health initiative to sequence the genomes of our patients and their families. Participants can find out if they are at high-risk for certain genetic diseases and have options to prevent or manage these conditions. 

Opioid-related deaths doubled in Scranton between 2014 and 2015, and they continue to increase. We’re combating addiction with a new Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) program, a holistic method to prevent and treat heroin and prescription opioid abuse with a combination of medical, social and environmental interventions. MAT shows great promise for sustaining recovery and curbing the tide of overdose deaths. 

As we design and implement these and many other initiatives, we’re measuring their effect on the health of Scranton, if the improvements are sustainable, and how they impact the cost of care. When we get it right, we’ll take it to other places. 

As I told the crowd at StartUp Health, we have to disrupt healthcare. If we don’t, some dropout from Stanford in a black turtleneck is going to do it for us. Learning how to build healthy communities and reforming healthcare is not optional.

Read part I: Health Care & Prison Reform: The Connection

Read part II: Food as Medicine Pays Off in Pennsylvania