Impact of Housing on Child Health (S3:E19)

As the medical community gains a greater understanding of the social determinants of health, it’s important to consider the impact housing can have on a child’s physical and mental health. And just as importantly, how do you tell when housing is negatively impacting a child’s health?

Listen to an expert on the impact of housing on child health

In this episode, we were privileged to sit down with Megan Sandel, MD, at the 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference Exhibition in New Orleans to discuss the impact of housing on child health.

Dr. Sandel is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the Boston University School of Medicine and an Associate Professor of Environmental Health at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is the former Pediatric Medical Director of the Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program and the first medical director of the founding site for Medical-Legal Partnership-Boston. In addition to publishing articles and serving on committees, she is considered an expert in her field on the topic of housing and child health.

In this episode, a pediatric expert discusses:

• The different qualities of housing to consider from a healthcare perspective
• Tobacco smoke, mold, injuries and other hazards to health in the home
• The importance of mental health when looking at the quality of a home
• The use of screening tools to identify families with housing issues and the right way to ask these questions
• Measures that are being taken by Boston Medical Center to combat housing issues
• The rapid response team at the Center and housing prescriptions
• The big networks that came together across the nation around the idea of healthcare anchors
• The surprising economic focus that is necessary in this line of medicine

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Housing Matters
• The Hunger Vital Sign Screening Tool by Children's HealthWatch
• Evicted by Mathew Desmond
• PRAPARE Assessment Tool