According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), social determinants of health, also referred to unmet health related resource needs are "Conditions in the places where people live, learn, work, and play [that] affect a wide range of health risks and outcomes."
Trillium takes a whole person approach to address health and this includes our focus on Trilliuunmet health related resource needs. Trillium focuses on housing, transportation, food, and interpersonal violence/toxic stress in alignment with statewide priority domains. Trillium will also focus on employment, education, social integration, and community inclusion as an essential component of wellness and addressing unmet health-related resource needs.
Trillium serves 14 counties that are participating in the Healthy Opportunities Pilot.
By managing Medicaid funding and services locally, Trillium achieved cost efficiencies that allowed us to reinvest savings in innovative programs and services that are making a difference in the communities we serve. These programs help address additional unmet health-related resource needs.
- Housing: Success in treatment can be difficult when a person does not have decent, safe, and affordable housing.
- Trillium Housing department partners with local housing authorities, property owners/managers, emergency shelters, and government agencies to offer multiple housing options.
- Trillium staff work with our providers and other community stakeholders to assist with locating affordable housing resources and resources for move-in costs. Our staff work to provide education on maintaining housing.
- Trillium initiatives:
- Transportation: Only four municipalities (Wilmington, Greenville, Rocky Mount, and Jacksonville) operate regularly scheduled public transportation. One community (Ocracoke Island) can only be reached by ferry. Transportation is one of the top unmet health related resource needs identified in our communities; it impacts access to all services, regular employment, and participation in social activities.
Trillium staff have relationships with local transportation providers and are diligent about linking members to affordable and sustainable transportation in their communities.
- Food: Nutrition is a basic, physiological need. Food insecurity makes it difficult to achieve any other goals. Food deserts (lack of grocery stores and fresh foods in a neighborhood) and food swamps (only food sources readily available are fast food restaurants or convenience stores) are common in both urban areas with lack of transportation and rural areas where it is miles to the nearest town.
As with Housing and Transportation, Trillium staff have deep rooted relationships with community based organizations that provide food resources and other support to our members.
- Trillium Initiative
- Interpersonal Violence/Toxic Stress: Forty-seven percent of North Carolina women have experienced intimate partner violence and almost a quarter of North Carolina children have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Experiencing trauma increases the likelihood of developing chronic health conditions.
- Past Trillium initiatives:
- Current Trillium initiatives:
- Social Integration: Stigmas and public misperceptions can create isolation for those with behavioral health needs or Intellectual Developmental Disabilities. Public sites and activities that encourage participation by people of all abilities help foster familiarity and awareness that there are more similarities than differences.
- Past Trillium initiatives:
- Current Trillium initiatives
- Employment: Regular employment, whether full or part-time, helps provide income, a sense of purpose, and improves self-esteem. Data compiled by the U.S. Department of Labor Office of Disability Employment Policy shows that over 8% of those with a disability are unemployed (compared to about 3.9% for the general population, in February 2022), although they are proven to be strong, productive employees.
- Current Trillium Initiative
- Assistance with navigating community-based job readiness programs, Vocational Rehabilitation, and Workforce Development Programs.
- What Can You Do? Campaign
- Whole Person Health:
- Access to Healthcare: Timely, affordable visits for mental health needs
- Access to Healthy Movement/Exercise
- Financial Security
- Virtual Workshops
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