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Abstract
A collaborative partnership among community-based organizations (CBOs) could strengthen local services and enhance the capacity of a community to provide services as well as meet the diverse needs of older adults. The United Way of Tarrant County developed the LIVE WELL Initiative, partnering with six CBOs to provide nine evidence-based or evidence-informed health interventions to improve the health and lower healthcare costs of vulnerable individuals at risk for poor health. The nine programs include specific target areas, such as falls prevention, chronic disease self-management, medication management, and diabetes screening and education. A total of 63,102 clients, nearly 70% of whom were older adults, were served through the Initiative. Significant improvements in self-reported health status were observed among served clients. The percentage of clients reporting self-rated health as good, very good, and excellent increased from 47.5% at baseline to 61.1% at follow-up assessment. The mean healthy days improved from 16.9 days at baseline to 20.6 days at follow-up assessment. Additional improvements in program-specific outcomes demonstrated significant impacts of targeted intervention focus among served clients by program. The findings of this study emphasize that the impact of a collaborative partnership with multiple CBOs could promote health and well-being for older adults.
Acknowledgments
The authors acknowledge the former and current project staff of the UWTC as well as the program leaders in each organization who made the most significant contribution to the implementation and evaluation of the LIVE WELL Initiative. These include Katrine White and Aisha Jackson at United Way of Tarrant County; Theresa Hocker, Susanna Luk-Jones, Teresa Linn, and Laura McEntire at Alzheimer’s Association North Central Texas Chapter; Lenee Bassham, Lynn Boyd, Donna Runion, and Donna Dempsey at Easterseals North Texas; Sherry Simon, Kathie Robinson, Brook Harris, Denise Blevins, Jennifer Lopez, Steven Wilson, Bill May, Lilly Frawley, Sam Powell, Allison Feather, Lynell Bond, and Steven Cook at Meals on Wheels, Inc. of Tarrant County; Liz Trevino, Derrick Villa, Cindy Delgado, Geraldine Whitaker, Jessica Allen, and Keneisha Houston at the North Texas Community Health Centers, Inc.; Jerry Mosman, Jennifer Severance, Christina Bartha, and Monique Barber at Sixty and Better, Inc.; and Katie Cardarelli, Anissa Carbajal-Diaz, Kim Linear, Marcela Nava, Erin Carlson, and Teresa Wagner at the University of North Texas Health Science Center.