In May 2023, the U.S. Surgeon General declared loneliness a public health crisis. Despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, research has demonstrated that historically, social isolation and loneliness have been long-term influencers of negative health consequences prior to the pandemic. Even in our post-pandemic world, things have not improved and in fact, worsened. The significance of social connection to an individual’s health and overall well-being is evident and more frequently being recognized through the social determinants of health (SDoH).
One of the more recent developments in this area has been doctors routinely evaluating their patients for social isolation and loneliness and prescribing social connection just like one would prescribe a medication to treat an illness—a phenomenon known as “social prescribing.” Social prescribing involves a systemic means (such as through a healthcare system, although not limited to this form) of addressing social needs by assisting the patient in making the necessary connections to benefit from social endeavors. While social prescribing has had more limited use thus far in the U.S., globally there has been greater progress in other countries such as the UK.
Although there is a growing recognition of the impact of social factors on health and recent precedents for Medicaid covering other SDoH, such as food access and housing, the absence of social prescribing policy at a national level in the U.S. has led to the emergence of varied local and regional initiatives. This Article strives to expose and educate people on the concept of social prescribing based on our current knowledge of it both in the U.S. and globally. It then aims to evaluate the potential for social prescribing policy in the U.S. as a means of preventing a tremendous tsunami of health challenges in the American people resulting from continuing entrenchment in loneliness and social isolation.