Public Health

Most Americans don’t know the risks “forever chemicals” pose, or even what they are, a new study shows.

A recent study finds strong links between residential segregation and disparities in early death rates from common causes.

The longest-running study of its kind reviewed death records in the path of pollution from coal-fired power plants. The numbers are staggering − but also falling fast as US coal plants close.

For Indigenous people in the U.S., food is considered a sacred gift. Healthy and bountiful produce is received when we care for the land. Yet, with one in four Native…

Adults who self-reported experiencing adversity in childhood were more likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19.

A Denver police unit started investigating all shootings like homicides. Now other cities are taking notice.

According to an empirical study published today in the journal NEJM Catalyst, Civica Rx – a not-for-profit drug manufacturer co-founded by SSM Health and several other leading health systems and philanthropists – is breaking through with positive impact on drug shortages and more affordable prices in the hospital-use generic drugs market. As shown in the study, Civica Rx significantly increased supply security and lowered the cost in aggregate for 20 drug products that it provided between 2020-2022. These medications are both critical to patient care and have historically been prone to shortages not adequately addressed by the traditional drug supply chain. Unlike other drugmakers, Civica Rx was created as a “health care utility” – a model in which otherwise competing entities, such as health systems, disruptively collaborate in a mission-oriented way to provide an essential good or service they and their patients all need, at the lowest sustainable cost. SSM Health, along with seven other health systems and three philanthropies, founded Civica Rx in 2018 with a goal of improving medication access rather than profits. The other original health system partners are CommonSpirit Health (formerly Catholic Health Initiatives), HCA Healthcare, Intermountain Healthcare, Mayo Clinic, Providence St. Joseph Health and Trinity Health. The founding philanthropies are the Gary and Mary West Foundation, Laura and John Arnold Foundation, and Peterson Center on Healthcare. Today, Civica Rx provides more than 75 critical medications that are most at risk for shortages to more than 55 U.S. health systems. “Like SSM Health, Civica Rx is driven by a mission of making things better for patients, while also improving and transforming the health care system,” said Carter Dredge, Lead Futurist at SSM Health, a member of the Civica Rx board, and a champion of the health care utility business model. “The results of this study are very encouraging. Drug shortages have been a substantial problem for decades, and this new model appears to be having a differentiated positive impact—representing a new form of structural innovation in healthcare.” Compared with the cost and supply available from 62 non-Civica drug manufacturers, Civica Rx was able to fulfill its contractually guaranteed volume at 96% vs. the wholesalers’ 86% – and offered an additional product access benefit of 43% above the contractual minimum volume. Additionally, this significant drug access benefit was achieved at an aggregated approximate 3% cost savings. “SSM Health is very proud to be part of this societally beneficial innovation that addresses one of health care’s most daunting challenges. This empirical study provides promising initial evidence that the health care utility model is working,” Dredge said. “And that means millions of patients should get the critical medications they need more reliably and affordably—and that’s worth innovating for.” About SSM Health SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through a robust and fully integrated health care delivery system. The organization’s 40,000 team members and more than 12,800 providers are committed to providing exceptional health care services and revealing God’s healing presence to everyone they serve. With care delivery sites in Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, SSM Health includes 23 hospitals, more than 300 physician offices and other outpatient and virtual care services, 13 post-acute facilities, comprehensive home care and hospice services, a pharmacy benefit company, a health insurance company and an accountable care organization. It is one of the largest employers in every community it serves. For more information, visit our website or find us on Facebook and Twitter.

Donna Lawson, a former school principal struggling with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, discovered the transformative power of medically tailored groceries—a cornerstone of the emerging Food is Medicine movement, in working with her…

High school students who reported a concussion in the last year were more likely to have suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts.

A federal report shows climate change is pushing ticks, mosquitoes, and other carriers of disease into new regions.

Climate change is affecting all aspects of public health from eco-anxiety to the destruction of hospitals.

Public health messaging has focused on the drinking habits of the mother during pregnancy. But a growing body of research shows that what dad is drinking before pregnancy matters too.