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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHSFS AppendixHEALTH J 0 FFt, UN DATI; of south Florida Appendix W liveIn 2014, Health Foundation of South Florida (HFSF) launched an initiative aimed at strengthening community capacity to collaboratively plan and collectively carryout strategies to improve health. After an extensive selection process, the healthy Foundation selected the neighborhood of Little Havana to invest up to $3.75 littlo hrrnl million over six years. During the selection process, each community selected an agency to serve as the primary coordinator, convener, communicator and "backbone' of the initiative. Little Havana stakeholders selected ConnectFamilias, a local non-profit, to serve as the Host Agency for the neighborhood initiative. One of the first activities the Host Agency embarked on was the formation of a steering committee comprised of community residents and key stakeholders to provide leadership'and oversight of the initiative. The initial focus of this group, called the "Host Council," was to identify the high priority health issues in Little Havana and provide guidance for the development of a Community Action Plan to address them. As the initiative moves from planning to implementation, Host Council members will serve as ambassadors/ advocates for the Live Healthy Little Hav�rfa (LHLH) initiative, monitor its work, approve action plan modifications and help problem solve. Community Action Plan Using information gathered from existing data sources and community focus groups, the Host Council selected five Health Impact Areas: e Physical Activity • Prevention of Alcohol &,-Substance Abuse • Mental Healthcare • Primary Healthcare* • Nutrition & Hdalthy Eating* *In this cycle of the Foundation's grantmaking, funding is available in the areas of Physical Activity, Prevention of Alcohol & Substance Abuse, and Mental Healthcare. In future grantmaking cycles, funding will be available for additional strategies in the areas of Primary Healthcare and Nutrition & Healthy Eating. Sub -Councils were created for each Health Impact Area to guide the development of a Community Action Plan (CAP) and monitor the progress of the initiative in each area to ensure targeted objectives are met. The strategies which are being supported through this funding cycle are summarized below. Please note that these descriptions are only meant to provide a preliminary introduction to the strategies. More detailed information will be provided during the LO1 workshops. Continued on next page HEALTH FOUNDATION of 300th MOO Appendix Health Impact Area 1: Physical Activity Regular physical activity is vital to overall health and fitness, Live Healthy Little Havana seeks to create a healthier community where children, youth, adults and the elderly support one another to be more physically active and live a healthier life. Some of the health benefits from being physically active include improved mental health, mood and overall wellbeing in addition to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Live Healthy Little Havana partners are committed to building a community that supports physical activity by reducing the barriers to physical activity and creating an environment in which every Little Havana resident can safely engage in physical activity. The following strategies serve as a starting point to achieving our collective impact of making Little Havana a Physically Active community. Strategy 1.1: Social Support Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Little Havana Social support interventions focus on changing physical activity behavior through building, strengthening, and maintaining social networks that provide supportive relationships for behavior change (e.g., setting up a buddy system, making contracts With others to complete specified levels of physical activity, or setting up walking groups or other groups to provide friendship and support). Through this strategy, Little Havana stakeholders seek to increase opportunities for residents to engage in physical activity programs with a social support component. Examples of possible activities include but,a"re not limited to: community sports teams (i.e. soccer leagues for kids and adults), walking clubs, yoga in the park, boot camps, Water Sports -swimming, water aerobics , dance:classes (i.e. hip-hop, salsa, Zumba°), etc. Strategy 1.2: Design and Implement a plan, that results in the community having streets designed according to the Community's,healthy needs and goals. One of the most frequently cited barriers to physical activity is a lack of safe areas. Street -scale urban design and land -use policies/and practices may increase environmental supports, such as safety, walkability, improved sense of community, decreased isolation, and reduction in crime and stress (Heath et al., 20061. Environmental changes such as improvements in infrastructure have many advantages.'One major advantage is that once the changes are made, they often endure for the life ofdstructure. These changes have a potential influence on most, if not all, of the people living in the community, and sustained promotional efforts are not required. Studies have also shown that people walk more in neighborhoods that are safe, walkable, comfortable, ,r and aesthetically pleasing. Improved pedestrian and cycling infrastructure may promote physical activity by making walking and cycling more appealing, easier, and safer (Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 2009). Through this strategy, Live Healthy Little Havana stakeholders seek to increase the community's knowledge and understanding of street -scale urban design models and guide residents and other key stakeholders through a process of identifying models that are best -fit for Little Havana. Continued on next page HEALTH FOUROATION oI ooth Ploridati Appendix Strategy 1.3: Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) During the Live Healthy Little Havana planning process, input from community residents revealed that perceived safety concerns related to neighborhood crime in and around parks and throughout the neighborhood are a major barrier to physical activity. Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) is defined as a multi -disciplinary approach to deterring criminal behavior through environmental design. CPTED strategies rely upon the ability to influence offender decisions that precede criminal acts by affecting the built, social and administrative environment. CPTED principles can increase park users' perceptions of safety while discouraging potential criminal activity. Through this strategy Live Healthy Little Havana stakeholders seek to design and implement a plan to carry out CPTED changes to the built, social, and administrative environments in Little Havana, aimed at improving safety. Part of this plan should include educating residents and other key stakeholders on basic CPTED principles. Health Impact Area 2: Prevention of Alcohol & Substance Abuse Alcohol and substance abuse have negative consequences not only for the individual but also for their families and the society in general. Addiction is a disorder that requires the support from properly trained providers in order to be successfully treated. In order tp/address this problem in the community it is important to have resources available so that individuals can prevent use and access needed treatment to lead a healthy and productive life. Live Healthy Little Havana partners understand the existing gaps in this area and are committed to reducing the barriers to implementation and suste6inability of alcohol and substance abuse prevention interventions through collective impact work. The following strategies serve as a starting point to achieving our common goal of ensuring t�.af all residents in Little Havana reduce risky consumption of alcohol and drugs. Strategy 2.1: Increase capacity for widespread use of evidence -based SKIRT intervention in Little Havana. In a 2015 survey on substance abuse in Little Havana, 96% of parents and 68% of college students who participated believed that substance abuse was an issue in their community. Screening, Bricf Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence -based practice used to identify, reduce, and prevent problematic use, abuse, and dependence on alcohol and illicit drugs. The SBIRT model was cited by an Institute of Medicine recommendation that called for community-based screening for health risk behaviors, including substance use. Through this strategy, Live Healthy Little Havana stakeholders seek to expand the network of SBIRT providers by offering coaching and technical assistance to SBIRT-trained organizations who have completed the trainings to help them fully adopt the practice of SBIRT. As more providers begin implementing SBIRT, reach to underserved and vulnerable populations in the Little Havana community will be increased. Continued on next page HEALTH FOU hlDATI ON ofsooth floritla Appendix Health Impact Area 3: Mental Healthcare Mental health is a fundamental component of health and overall wellbeing. As defined by the World Health Organization: "Mental health is a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community." Behavioral health and well-being are fundamental to our collective and individual ability as humans to think and interact with each other, earn a living and enjoy life. On this basis, the promotion, protection and restoration of behavioral health can be regarded as a vital concern for individuals, communities and societies throughout the world. Live Healthy Little Havana partners are committed to building a community that provides access to quality, culturally responsive mental health services to promote behavioral and emotional wellbeing for all residents in Little Havana. The following strategy serve as a starting point to achieving our collective impact of creating a community that fosters optimal mental health and overall wellbeing. Strategy 3.1: Establish the use of health screening (social emotlonal/behavioral health, alcohol and substance abuse, physical health, and domestic violence, child maltreatment and other risk factors) for use by professionals and paraprofessionals in a variety of settings in Little Havana, During the Live Healthy Little Havana planning process, many residents reported that they did not know how to access behavioral healthcare services,,and when they do seek help it is oftentimes through non -behavioral healthcare providers or a trusted peer (such as Community Health Workers, teachers, childcare providers, medical office staff, etc.). This strategy aims to increase the number of providers and paraprofessionals in Little Havana (in a wide variety of settings) who are trained in implementing,behavioral health screening practices and brief interventions. Initial implementation of fhis strategy will include engagement of community partners to determine interests for this type of screening followed by development of a screening tool (which may be designed from existing tools) which meets the needs of the group as a whole. The next phase of.this strategy will include training and technical assistance for community partners in the full adoption of screening processes.