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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Seunghyun Yoo, DrPH¹, James Butler, DrPH¹, Thistle I. Elias, MPA¹, and Robert M. Goodman, PhD². (1) Department of Behavioral & Community Health Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 130 DeSoto St. Parran Hall 231, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, 412-624-3613, syoo@pitt.edu, (2) Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Room A 223 Crabtree Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15261

The Senior Living Enhancement Program (SLEP) is a community-based participatory effort of multiple agencies to improve the health and quality-of-life of low-income seniors living in twelve public high-rises in the Pittsburgh area. Social work services, recreational activities, nursing services, and community empowerment project for residents at each high-rise combine in an effort to meet residents' needs, as well as provide them with a forum for capacity development and self-advocacy. Residents volunteered to establish a Blue Ribbon Health Panel (BRHP) at each high-rise through which they identified and addressed health and quality-of-life issues in collaboration with partner agencies including the University of Pittsburgh, service agencies, and housing authority. Using a 6-step community empowerment strategy as a guiding principle, the BRHPs identified prominent health and quality-of-life goals in their communities and accomplished those goals within a year. Achieved outcomes included gaining access to fresh food, obtaining exercise equipment for high-rise residents, organizing health education and social activities on healthy aging topics, increasing socialization among the residents, and painting a crosswalk in front of a high-rise building for convenience and safety. Gaining community's buy-in was critical for building a foundation for and continuation of the SLEP, and quick achievement of desired outcomes not only validated the SLEP's legitimacy but also motivated the BRHPs to continue their efforts. The SLEP and BRHPs were influenced by focused community leadership such as high-rise tenant councils, past relationships with partner agencies, capacities of partnering service agencies, partnership coherence, and clear and consistent communication among all parties involved.

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