{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T04:27:54Z","timestamp":1787027274187,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":39,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]],"date-time":"2026-06-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780531200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The U.S. healthcare system is confronting at least three converging crises: a rapidly aging population with complex needs, rising prevalence of mental illness, and an epidemic of social isolation that contributes substantially to morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. Current clinical approaches cannot meet demand due to persistent workforce shortages, limited treatment capacity, and variable patient adherence. Social prescribing (SP), which systematically connects patients from healthcare settings to community-based non-clinical supports, including social, cultural, physical activity, and nature-based programs, has been developed in over 30 countries and is emerging in the United States as a promising adjunct to clinical care. This paper synthesizes epidemiologic, economic, and implementation evidence to examine the role of SP in addressing these strains on domestic healthcare infrastructure. Drawing on data from a national survey of SP movement leaders ahead of the 2025\u202fU.S. SP Leadership Summit, we identify key barriers and opportunities across patients, clinicians, community partners, and health systems. Major challenges include limited awareness, fragmented referral pathways, measurement deficits, and a complex multi-payer environment. Despite these barriers, substantial opportunities exist to align SP with U.S. public health priorities, including mental health prevention, health equity, social drivers of health, lifestyle medicine, and value-based care. We argue that SP represents a low-risk and high-value strategy to improve wellbeing and reduce healthcare burden by formally recognizing the importance of social connection to health outcomes. Strategic investment in policy frameworks, sustainable financing, workforce development, technology, and research is essential to supporting system-wide adoption of SP in the United States.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1789606","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]],"date-time":"2026-06-04T05:41:58Z","timestamp":1780551718000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["The future of U.S. social prescribing: foundations, implementation, and leadership summit insights"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Alan","family":"Siegel","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"UCSF Medical Center","place":["San Francisco, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Barry","family":"Zuckerman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Boston University School of Medicine","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ardeshir Z.","family":"Hashmi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cleveland Clinic Center for Geriatric Medicine","place":["Cleveland, OH, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Serena","family":"Shapard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bryn Mawr College","place":["Bryn Mawr, PA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"National Health Expenditure Data: Personal Health Care Spending by Age","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref2","volume-title":"Personal Health Care Spending By Age and Sex","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref3","volume-title":"Fast Facts: Health and Economic Costs of Chronic Conditions","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref4","volume-title":"NSDUH Detailed Tables, Section 6 (Mental Health), Table 6.1B: Any Mental Illness in Past Year among Adults aged 18+ (2022\u20132023)","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref5","article-title":"Depression prevalence in adolescents and adults: United States, august 2021\u2013august 2023","volume":"527","author":"Brody","year":"2025","journal-title":"NCHS Data Brief"},{"key":"ref6","volume-title":"FastStats\u2014Mental Health (NHIS Early Release)","year":"2026"},{"key":"ref7","volume-title":"2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: national Results","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref8","volume-title":"A Closer Look at the Mental Health Provider Shortage","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref9","volume-title":"State of the Behavioral Health Workforce","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref10","volume-title":"Health Effects of Social Isolation and Loneliness. Social Connection","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref11","volume-title":"Social Connection in AmericaTM","author":"Holt-Lunstad","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref12","first-page":"24300","article-title":"Social isolation and mental health outcomes: a population-based analysis","volume":"25","author":"Wang","year":"2025","journal-title":"BMC Public Health"},{"key":"ref13","first-page":"e2414567","article-title":"Association of social isolation and loneliness with health outcomes in U.S. adults","volume":"7","author":"Shah","year":"2024","journal-title":"JAMA Netw Open"},{"key":"ref14","volume-title":"Social Isolation and Loneliness: a public Health Crisis","author":"Shakthy","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref15","volume-title":"From Loneliness to Social Connection: Charting a Path to Healthier Societies (Report of the WHO Commission on Social Connection)","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref16","volume-title":"Building the Economic Evidence Case for SP","author":"Polley","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref17","volume-title":"A Healthier Canada: An Analysis of the Potential Economic and Social Impacts of SP","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref18","article-title":"Measuring the economic impact of SP","author":"Kimberlee","year":"2024","journal-title":"J Public Health"},{"key":"ref19","article-title":"A path toward universal SP in the United States","author":"Siegel","year":"2025","journal-title":"Gener Today."},{"key":"ref20","article-title":"Community perspectives on social connection programs","author":"Hough","year":"2025","journal-title":"Gener Today"},{"key":"ref21","volume-title":"CMS Moves Closer to Accountable Care Goals with 2025 ACO Initiatives: Fact Sheet","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref22","volume-title":"Exploring Perceptions of Green SP among Clinicians and the Public","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1688","DOI":"10.1001\/jamainternmed.2019.4235","article-title":"Association of Patient Priorities-Aligned Decision-Making with Patient Outcomes and Ambulatory Health Care Burden among Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Conditions: a nonrandomized clinical trial","volume":"179","author":"Tinetti","year":"2019","journal-title":"JAMA Intern Med"},{"key":"ref24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-2667(25)00066-0","article-title":"SP in the USA: emerging learning and opportunities","volume":"10","author":"Marshall","year":"2025","journal-title":"Lancet Public Health"},{"key":"ref25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"E795","DOI":"10.1001\/amajethics.2023.795","article-title":"What are \"social prescriptions\" and how should they be integrated into care plans?","volume":"25","author":"Ashwin Kotwal","year":"2023","journal-title":"AMA J Ethics"},{"key":"ref26","volume-title":"The Impact of SP on Health Service Use and Costs: Examples of Local Evaluations in Practice","author":"O\u2019Connell Francischetto","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref27","volume-title":"Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Social Isolation","author":"Murthy","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref28","volume-title":"The Connection Cure: The Prescriptive Power of Movement, Nature, Art, Service, and Belonging","author":"Hotz","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref29","volume-title":"Sustainable Funding Models for SP: Evidence Briefing","year":""},{"key":"ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"393","DOI":"10.1111\/1468-0009.12562","article-title":"Financing approaches to SP programs in England and the United States","volume":"100","author":"Sandhu","year":"2022","journal-title":"Milbank Q"},{"key":"ref31","volume-title":"Innovating for Improved Healthcare: Challenges Crossing the \u2018Valley of Death\u2019 between Early Proof-of-Concept and Sustained Implementation","author":"Marjanovic","year":"2020"},{"key":"ref32","volume-title":"Creativity and Collaboration for Healthier Cities: A Guide to Arts, Culture, and Public Health Partnerships","year":"2022"},{"key":"ref33","volume-title":"Arts, Culture, and SP in the United States: 23 case Studies, 2023\u20132024","author":"Hayes","year":"2025"},{"key":"ref34","volume-title":"Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us","author":"Magsamen","year":"2023"},{"key":"ref35","volume-title":"Art Cure: The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Lives","author":"Fancourt","year":"2026"},{"key":"ref36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.3390\/bs15020153","article-title":"A systematic review and meta-analysis on the effect of nature exposure on human health","author":"Bettmann","year":"2025","journal-title":"Behav Sci"},{"key":"ref37","volume-title":"Nature Makes You\u2026 Health Benefits of parks \u2014 January 27, 2025","year":""},{"key":"ref38","volume-title":"Blue Zones and American College of Lifestyle Medicine Create Partnership to Accelerate a Lifestyle-First Approach to all Healthcare","year":"2024"},{"key":"ref39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1113","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2013.2007l","article-title":"Health services innovation: the time is now","volume":"309","author":"Zuckerman","year":"2013","journal-title":"JAMA"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1789606\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]],"date-time":"2026-06-04T05:42:04Z","timestamp":1780551724000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1789606\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]]},"references-count":39,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1789606"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1789606","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,4]]},"article-number":"1789606"}}