The Nicholson Foundation’s goal is a healthier New Jersey. We support the efforts of health care systems to change the way they care for patients in vulnerable populations by addressing environmental factors and the social determinants of health.
“Population health” refers to social, economic, biological, and environmental factors which may interact with each other to influence the health of individuals and populations as a whole.
Today, despite ever-growing expenditures on healthcare services, there are stagnant or worsening measures of the overall health of the population.
Increasingly, researchers, decision-makers, and community leaders agree that an individual’s health has less to do with what happens in the doctor’s office than with healthy or unhealthy behaviors and environments.
Efforts to address population health are especially important to vulnerable populations. These populations are disproportionately located in areas where environmental conditions like poor housing, pollution, and limited access to healthy food options increase the risks of health conditions like asthma, diabetes, and obesity. Studies show that these conditions can be improved by the right evidence-based population health projects.
We support the efforts of healthcare systems to change the way they care for patients by addressing social, economic and environmental factors that affect health. We believe the strategic use of data and evidence-based practices can improve health outcomes, enhance patient engagement, and reduce costs.
Our work in this area includes: