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Rename a real issue: America’s determinants of health

by Scott Rivkees, opinion contributor - 10/28/26 10:30 AM ET

by Scott Rivkees, opinion contributor - 10/28/26 10:30 AM ET

FILE – Lurie Children’s Hospital sign is seen at the hospital as patients walk in, Feb. 5, 2024, in Skokie, Ill. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

The Gulf of Mexico has been renamed the Gulf of America , yet remains salty. Lake Ontario has been called Lake America , yet its winds still whip in the fall.

What has not been renamed, and needs to be, is the term “ social determinant of health .” It refers to the environmental, educational, economic and healthcare factors that have long been recognized as shaping our well-being and susceptibility to illness.…