The housing crisis in Massachusetts doubly hits health care, workers from around the state told Gov. Maura Healey, putting up barriers to patients’ care and making it more difficult for hospital employees to live and work here.

“(Boston Medical Center) is very focused on both what we term downstream and upstream solutions to address the root causes of poor health outcomes in our community,” said BMC CEO and President Alastair Bell. “And housing instability is near the top. We’re working hard, but as a state, we need to act at a scale that’s proportionate to the need.”

Healey hosted a roundtable discussion at BMC Thursday to discuss the impact of the housing crisis on health equity throughout the state with health care leaders from major hospitals in Boston, Cape Cod, Worcester, Springfield and others. The table also hosted speakers representing elder care, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Mass. League of Community Health Centers and others.

Several speakers cited evidence of the connection between housing and health outcomes in their own communities. Bell noted that one in 12 patients at BMC is experiencing homelessness and “far more” experience housing instability.

Thea James, a doctor and researcher within BMC, spoke to the hospital’s research on a “housing vaccine” for health conditions. In a 2016 study placing families in affordable housing with support services, James said, researchers found kids in the housing were 32% less likely to be in fair or poor health.

Cape Cod Healthcare CEO Michael Lauf said one in three physicians and one in five employees choose not to work at the hospital because of the cost of housing.

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Speakers cited the $4 billion Affordable Homes Act passed earlier this year, among other legislation, as significant steps to address the issue. But the administration also pushed workers to advocate for affordable housing and focus on local solutions.

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and others spoke to efforts to co-locate affordable housing close to health care and educational institutions and “leverage” health care workers work on selling communities and local decision makers on more affordable housing.

“You all have such incredible opportunities to help get the action you need in your communities,” Driscoll said. “Do not sell yourselves short. Mobilizing your staff, mobilizing campuses, and showing up in those places that its hard to build housing that we all know we need.”

Gov. Maura Healey speaks during a Housing Is Health Care roundtable at Boston Medical Center. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)