The program will examine factors that can affect access to services such as independent living skills, cooking and nutrition, financial literacy, health information classes and social support. (Photo: Shutterstock)

In recent years, many in the health care industry have been turning their attention to social determinants of health–the underlying and environmental factors that can influence a person's medical conditions and outcomes. The latest to sign on? CVS Health.

In a collaboration with social care coordinator platform provider Unite Us, CVS Health is launching a platform to ease the way for Medicare and dual-eligible beneficiaries who have coverage through CVS's insurance arm Aetna to find and get help from social care providers in their own communities.

Related: The connection between social determinants and health care costs

Modern Healthcare reports that Aetna Medicaid members in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as the health plan's dual-eligible special needs members in Tampa, Florida and southeastern Louisiana will be the first to get access to the programs and services offered on the platform.

“Out of about 6,000 waking hours in a year, most people only spend a handful in a doctor's office or hospital—you spend the vast majority of your time in your community,” said Karen S. Lynch, executive vice president at CVS Health. “By going beyond our significant philanthropic efforts and addressing social determinants of health through the products and programs our company develops, we have an unprecedented opportunity to improve the health of individuals and communities across America.”

This initial move will be evaluated for its effectiveness in connecting members to services and satisfying their needs, with an eventual goal of nationwide rollout.

Since health isn't just about illness and doctor visits, but also social and environmental factors, the program—a part of the “Building Healthier Communities” initiative, a $100 million commitment that includes more than $50 million in affordable housing in underserved and at-risk markets throughout the country, as well as an analytics tool that helps employers quantify the impact of social determinants on their employee's health—will also examine other factors that can affect access to services such as independent living skills, cooking and nutrition, financial literacy, health information classes, resident outreach and engagement, client centered treatment plans and social support.

“I think social determinants of health is something that we, as enterprise, have been working on for some time across various lines of business,” says Dr. Garth Graham, vice president of community health and impact at CVS Health and president of the Aetna Foundation.

Graham added that eligible members can be referred by a community health care provider or by Aetna nurse case managers; information will be provided to referrers via the platform. In addition, the network will probably be folded into CVS Health retail sites.

“It's hard to focus on your health when you are worried about your housing situation,” Graham says. “Research has shown that providing safe and secure housing options can help improve health outcomes, particularly for individuals with chronic health conditions. Our continued investment in affordable housing and ongoing collaboration with community groups can support those individuals that need it the most and help improve their health and well-being.”

As a mark of its commitment, CVS and Aetna have already closed on $40.5 million in investments in affordable housing to construct or rehabilitate more than 1,600 units over six states, including more than 100 permanent supportive housing units that are reserved for people needing mental health service; who are homeless or at risk of homelessness; have HIV/AIDS diagnoses; have substance abuse issues; or have long-term chronic health conditions.

Read more:

• Should housing, food and transportation be covered health costs?
• How social determinants of health affect your employee benefit program
• Doctors propose new diagnosis: 'Unable to pay for prescriptions'