The purpose of the Health-Smart Holistic Health (HSHH) Program for Seniors is to address the problems of social isolation, food insecurity, and financial insecurity that negatively impact the health and health-related quality of life of many seniors living in Health Zone 1 of Jacksonville, Florida—the health zone in this city most plagued by these problems. The specific aim of the HSHH Program is to directly promote social connection, food security, financial security, and asset security among 600 seniors living in communities that constitute the aforementioned Health Zone 1 and indirectly do so through enhancing the financial security and asset security of family members who contribute financially in some way to these seniors. Two major program goals are to (a) transform two UF Health–Jacksonville Health and Wellness Centers in Health Zone 1 (one in the Durkeeville community and one in the Soutel community) into sustained Health-Smart Holistic Health Centers and (b) establish 10 sustained, church-based pantries for use by the target seniors and others in Health Zone 1.
The HSHH Program is a multi-component, multi-partnered program that is designed to empower seniors to take charge of their social, mental, spiritual, and physical health under whatever conditions that exist in their lives. The major components of the HSHH Program are: (a) the culturally sensitive, evidence-based, 9-week Health-Smart Behavior Program™ (called Health-Smart) adapted to promote health-smart behaviors (healthy eating, physical activity and depression and stress management behaviors) and social connection behaviors among seniors and designed to be primarily implemented by trained community members, (b) a job training and placement program, (c) a financial literacy and asset security program, (d) a church-based and implemented food pantry program, (e) a food security and social connection online app for seniors, (f) a smartphone-use training program for seniors, (g) an insurance consultation program, and (h) the program-wide health-smart events program, which consists of a mental and physical health and wellness promotion expert panel event, a healthy eating and tasting event, a health-smart walk event, and an illness prevention complementary medicine (e.g., yoga and mindfulness meditation) event.
Some of the many HSHH Program Partners are UF Health–Jacksonville and its two health and wellness centers, UF–Gainesville, the Jacksonville Urban League, the YMCA of Florida’s First Coast in Jacksonville, Eckerd Connects, the Jacksonville Housing Authority, 10 churches in Jacksonville, Feeding Northeast Florida, Farm Share, and the Humana Foundation. Program success will be indicated by increased social connections, lower loneliness ratings, increased food security ratings, increased health-smart behaviors, improved health outcomes (e.g., blood pressure), and increased employment among the program participants. The HSHH Program is being funded by an $820,000 one-year grant from the Humana Foundation.