Vot-ER bridges the gap between healthcare and civic responsiblity in Santa Barbara

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.- Voting and healthcare can now go hand in hand thanks to an initiative in Santa Barbara. 

The program is called Vot-ER, and it’s founded on the belief that full voter participation can lead to positive health outcomes. 

Healthcare providers now have the ability to register patients to vote. 

Dr. Alister Martin believed there was a need for this initiative when he saw that he couldn’t help people through his medical services alone. Health starts at the systemic level when we address homelessness, hunger, illiteracy, joblessness, and violence. 

Now, Dr. Sharma has brought this East Coast program to Santa Barbara. 

“It's really imperative when only 20 to 22% of patients of eligible voters are participating in the democratic process, that we get a more inclusive democracy by getting everyone represented so that we can set better health policies. So we get better health outcomes for everyone,” said Sharma. 

Doctors say helping patients vote is the first step to making someone's voice heard, so the government can address everyone's needs.

“If we all get out there and and put our voices out there then things can change,” said Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics Care Management LVN Melissa Harrison. 

Dr. Sharma says that 80% of what affects a person’s health condition is what happens to them outside of the office when they leave the clinic. This is known as the social determinants of health. 

This nonpartisan nonprofit organization started prior to the pandemic to bring civic engagement into health care spaces.