Addressing Social Determinants of Health in Family Planning Care Meeting Package

This meeting package is designed to support individual and team-based learning, reflection, and action on the social determinants of health in family planning care. Individuals can use this resource to gain understanding of social and structural determinants of health, while teams can use it to facilitate conversation and action to address social determinants of health within their family planning project or service site as part of holistic and culturally-responsive care. 

This package will take approximately one hour to complete.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the meeting, participants will be able to:

• Describe social and structural determinants of health and the role they play in reproductive health, general health, and health disparities
• Identify opportunities for tailoring care and connecting clients to social and economic support services
• Explain how the social context of the communities a family planning project serves informs community partnerships and client-centered care
• Define action steps that family planning staff can take to tailor care and connect clients to needed social and economic services and supports

How to Use This Resource:

This meeting package can be used by individuals or family planning teams.  

• Individual learners can explore the social determinants of health overview, video, and additional resources at their own pace. Individuals can print the questions and use them for reflection and notetaking.
• Family planning teams can explore the social determinants of health overview and video individually or together, and schedule meeting time to reflect and strategize.

To Prepare for the Meeting:

• Identify a team member(s) to facilitate the discussion. Facilitators should plan to establish a safe space for listening and sharing. Discussions of social and structural determinants of health can be sensitive, deeply personal, and complex. 
• Make sure all team members have printed copies of, or online access to, the Question Guide and Improvement Plan Worksheet. 
• Have a computer set up to view the meeting package and play the video for everyone to watch together. Or share during a virtual meeting.

Set aside a few minutes at the end of the meeting to preview the additional resources and encourage team members to look through them.