The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #66356

Daria Luisi, PhD, MPH and Amanda L. Vogel, ScM. Bureau of Chronic Disease and Tobacco Control, Health Promotion Program, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, 2 Lafayette St 20th Floor CN 46, New York, NY 10007, 212-676-2141, dluisi@health.nyc.gov

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s Health Promotion Program founded the Senior Wellness Program (SWP) in fall 2001 to fill a gap in Department services, namely the paucity of services directed towards older adults. This pilot project aims to provide comprehensive health promotion services to underserved older adults, focusing on low socioeconomic status and minority populations. SWP services include: clinical preventive services, health education, health promotion activities, and service linkages and referrals. Through an innovative intergovernmental collaboration with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA), the SWP provides on-site services in twenty-one senior centers located in public housing developments. These centers are amongst the most resource-poor in the city. A key challenge for SWP staff was how to create a program directed at a new public health priority area which lacked any dedicated monies. To operate in this environment, the SWP focused on integrating and coordinating existing services provided by multiple DOHMH offices and other national and local health organizations. A major new intervention was also implemented by adapting a preexisting program developed by the University of Maryland School of Nursing. It was executed with support from the New York University Division of Nursing, and evaluated with support from the University of Maryland. These collaborations benefited our partner agencies also, providing access to new settings and populations for the University of Maryland, and providing innovative community student field placements for NYU’s Division of Nursing. Funding for this intervention was provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Apply lessons learned from DOHMH to develop ideas for intergovernmental and public-private partnerships in their own communities
• Understand the value of place-based interventions as a means of accessing underserved urban older adults
• Describe creative approaches to building a new program addressing a newly-identified public health imperative, before budgetary funds are allocated

Keywords: Underserved Populations, Partnerships

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.