Data for Better Health® 2025-2026 Impact Season
About Impact Season
In 2024, AHIMA launched its first Data for Better Health Impact Season. The goal was to engage and empower AHIMA and HCPro employees to impact health through volunteer opportunities related to social determinants of health.
We are expanding these efforts to include the health information (HI) community.
2025-2026 Impact Season Theme: Food Insecurity
Access to nutritious foods is a critical social determinant of health. According to the Urban Institute, more than one in four adults (27 percent) reported food insecurity and approximately one in three families with children reported experiencing food insecurity in 2024. When food insecurity can be addressed upstream from a clinical encounter, it can help reduce readmissions, lower healthcare costs, and improve health outcomes. The success of this work starts with accurate, complete, and usable data.
If a patient screens positive for food insecurity, a healthcare professional can refer the individual to a community-based organization such as a food bank or meal-delivery service to ensure the individual has access to healthy, nutritious foods once they leave the office or are discharged from the hospital. As a result, when healthcare professionals can collect, use, and share social determinants of health data they are able to have a positive impact on individuals’ and communities' lives.
Impact Season Highlight: 2025 Volunteer Food Packing Event
Following the AHIMA25 Conference in Minnesota, volunteers teamed up with U.S. Hunger and packed more than 20,000 jambalaya meals for Second Harvest Heartland in Minneapolis. This event kicked off the 2025 Data for Better Health® Impact Season, encouraging our community to lend a hand where they live. Check out the Resources section below for ways to join in and get involved.
Get Involved
Interested in participating in this year’s Data for Better Health® Impact Season? Check out our Impact Season information sheet to learn more. It’s the perfect time to support your community and help address social needs close to home.
Here are more ways you can join in:
- Volunteer at a local food bank, pantry, or delivery program
- Gather a group and serve together
- Share your experience with us
- Tag us on social media with #impactseason
For more information, please contact Sarah Gericke at sarah.gericke@ahima.org.