Creating a multisector Leadership Team to engage with the community and create an Accelerator Plan to mitigate negative health outcomes resulting from social determinants. - McKeesport, located 12 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA, is in Allegheny County. Long a steel making hub, the City’s population peaked in 1940 at 55,000; with the collapse of the steel industry in the 1980s, the population declined by 68% to its current 17,500 (2020 census). In 2022, 92% of the inpatient discharges from UPMC McKeesport Hospital were patients insured by Medicare or Medicaid. Clinical and insurance data, significant community organization survey data, and a series of 2019 focus groups led by UPMC (with clinical leaders, community members, and patients) points to 1) Community-Clinical Connections and 2) Food and Nutrition Security as the most impactful areas of focus for a collective, community plan to address chronic disease and SDOH. Although numerous linkages have been built to increase access to care in the community, aligning these existing programs in a more constructive fashion, as well as expanding the programs and engaging new partners, will amplify impact greatly. Likewise, many food and nutrition initiatives are in place, but are not connected well enough to indicate whether food deserts and areas of high need might be addressed more effectively through new or expanded partnerships. McKeesport has experienced decades of disinvestment, persistent high levels of poverty, an aging population, and higher levels of chronic disease than seen in the broader Allegheny County population. A plan to address Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) is needed for the entire community. The poverty rate is 27.4%, compared to 12% across Pennsylvania. The Area Deprivation Index for the City is 97.8, indicating that McKeesport is in the top 3% of most disadvantaged communities in the country. Of the total population, 22.6% of residents are under the age of 18, 19.3% are 65 or older, 48% of the residents are minorities, and African Americans comprise the largest percentage, 37.9%. More than 60 organizations are already working to address various SDOH and population health challenges in McKeesport. However, a collective focus, alignment, and a community planning framework are needed. A shared understanding of and language reflecting what social determinants are, how they influence health outcomes, and how effective community collaboration might impact health outcomes is also required. Mayor Cherepko has invited a group of community leaders, representing many sectors and many resident constituents, to serve on a Leadership Team for this CDC Accelerator grant. The anticipated outcomes for the planning grant include a connected and sustainable network of community organizations that can bring forth the voices and needs of the McKeesport community; plans to create more convenient, accessible, and equitable access to care, and a better understanding of how diverse populations want to receive care. The Mayor intends to lead an effective community planning process that reflects the needs of the community and will lead to an implementation-ready plan that results in successful strategies to obtain the needed financial, policy, and organizational resources for improving population health.
