Civic Academy
Why People Stay Sick
D · Draft — not verified Not line-checked against the Navajo Nation Code. How we verify →
Social determinants of health — the things outside the clinic that decide who gets well
You can build the best hospital in the world. But if a person has no gas money to get there, no healthy food at home, no job, no running water — they stay sick anyway. Health isn’t just what happens in the clinic. It’s shaped by everything around a person’s life. Health care providers call these the social determinants of health.
What they are
The big ones:
- Money — can you afford care, food, gas, rent?
- Getting there — do you have a ride, or roads that work?
- Food — is there healthy food nearby, or just a gas station an hour away?
- Home — running water, power, heat, a safe place to live?
- Work and school — a steady job, a good education?
- Safety and support — family, community, freedom from violence?
Why this matters here
On the Navajo Nation, these hit hard. Long distances and no gas money keep people from care that exists. A clinic that sends you two hours away for a scan isn’t much help if you can’t make the drive. So when we ask “how do we fix health care,” the honest answer is bigger than 638 and bigger than any one hospital.
The big idea: some problems sit underneath the others
Here’s the part that changes how you think about every issue on this site. Some problems cause other problems. Poverty makes people sick, keeps kids out of school, and pushes families to leave for work. Fix the root, and many things downstream get better at once. Treat only the symptom, and you’re bailing water forever.
That’s why one of the most important questions a voter can ask isn’t just “what matters most?” — it’s “what should we fix first, because fixing it helps everything else?” That’s not just health care. That’s how you plan.
Quick check: why people stay sick
Check your understanding — private, saved on this device, no grades
A clinic exists but a patient has no gas money and no ride. What is that an example of?
Right — health is shaped by money, transport, food, housing, work, and safety, not just clinics.
If a candidate's whole health plan is “build more clinics,” (an invented example) the lenses suggest asking about…
Right — root cause thinking.
Goes with: Healthcare 101 · Infrastructure 101: Roads, Water & Broadband · Housing 101
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