Video Transcript: Meet Sabrina

First, meet Sabrina.

Sabrina is a 34-year-old mother of 2 children. She and her husband operate a dairy farm in rural Delaware. She says she didn’t finish high school.

Sabrina was recently diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Lupus, though she’s suffered symptoms for years.

Sabrina struggles to manage the disease, which can affect a person’s skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart, and lungs.

She tells her provider it’s difficult to get to a clinic while they’re open because of her obligations at the farm and with her family. There are no Lupus specialists nearby.

Let’s see what social determinants of health are relevant to Sabrina’s health and health care.

For example, we learned that Sabrina didn’t finish high school. This helps her provider understand issues related to Education Access and Quality.

The provider also asks about her work on the dairy farm. The provider suspects that her job creates both physical and emotional stress. He notes that the work is physically challenging, and her income can change based on seasons and demand for her products. These concerns relate to Economic Stability.

Now, let’s consider Sabrina’s health. After years of living with symptoms, she was diagnosed with Lupus. She struggles to manage the disease because the nearest clinic is far away and it’s difficult for her to get there while they’re open.

Her provider documents these concerns related to Health Care Access and Quality.

Sabrina needs a health care facility that’s open when she has time. In other words, she needs accessible health care. This can mean a single provider operating in a rural facility, or a hospital or health system, or a specialist offering telehealth consultations.