Healthy Aging NC Resource Center: An Initiative of the NC Center for Health & Wellness (NCCHW) at UNC Asheville
Our Website: www.healthyagingnc.com
- Free platform for agencies offering classes and participants to enroll online
- Access to healthy aging resources, webinars, training, and current news
As North Carolina’s statewide resource center for evidence-based health programs, Healthy Aging NC
- Connects people to the programs and agencies that improve community health
- Increases the capacity of providers to offer these programs
- Maintains the website with current program information and online registration systems
- Collects and analyzes data to report results
Programs We Support
- A Matter of Balance (falls prevention)
- Enhance Fitness (falls prevention and arthritis management)
- Living Healthy Programs (self-management programs)
- Chronic Disease Self-Management Program and Tomando Control de Su Salud (Spanish)
- Diabetes Self-Management Program and Programa de Manejo Personal de la Diabetes (Spanish)
- Chronic Pain Self-Management Program
- Tai Chi for Arthritis (falls prevention and arthritis support)
- The Otago Exercise Program (falls prevention)
- YMCA: Moving For Better Balance (falls prevention)
- Walk With Ease (walking and arthritis management)
Training Academies
- Provide agencies with access to reduced-cost master and leader training
- Offer technical assistance and support to ensure programs demonstrate effectiveness
Resource Development
- Offer training and support for creating inclusive and culturally competent programs
- Support innovation in the areas of clinical-community integration, programming across the continuum of care, and referral pathways
- Resources include: lessons learned; sample media and marketing templates; and continuum of care toolkits for programs.
Data and Reports
- Reduce administrative burden of agencies offering programs with data entry, analysis, and reporting
Community Support Activites
We support Living Healthy Programs by offering free and low-cost master and leader training in collaboration with the Centralina Training Academy. Between 2016-18, together we co-hosted three in-person and two online master trainings, engaging 58 new master trainers.
We support Tai Chi for Arthritis programs by offering free and low-cost leader training in collaboration with the High Country training academy. In 2018, we co-hosted two leader trainings, creating 35 new leaders across NC and offering skill builders to support quality and safety.
We create linkages between healthcare systems and community based organizations through innovative projects, regional coalition convening, presentations, and exhibits. Our projects include:
- Piloting a referral pathway between Mission Health’s Accountable Care Organization and the five Area Agencies on Aging covering 19 counties in Western NC (WNC) for AMOB and TCA.
- Piloting Living Healthy programs within the WNC Community Health Services (WNCCHS) Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and sharing the experience at the NC Primary Care Conference in 2017.
- Supporting sustainability by connecting agencies to share resources.
- Convening an average of seven local or regional meetings annually and statewide Summits to integrate evidence-based programs within NC communities statewide, using the Results-Based Accountability framework for planning and evaluation.
- Sharing expertise on the NC Falls Coalition Steering Committee, NC Diabetes Advisory Council, the NC Accountable Care Communities Task Force, and the NC Rural Health Leadership Alliance.
- Building coalitions to address the health and social factors that contribute to healthcare outcomes.
We provide training and support to help agencies reach marginalized populations. Activities include: adding cultural competence and disability inclusion to training, maintaining inclusion toolkits on our website, and sharing experiences reaching faith communities, migrants, and rural employers.
We support efficiency and effectiveness of evidence-based programs by collaborating with the NC Division of Aging & Adult Services to ensure that: programs are offered with fidelity, providers meet the requirements to achieve health outcomes, and the accountability of all resources.
Our Team
- For growing Healthy Aging NC support: Nicolle Miller, Director, nmiller2@unca.edu
For Living Healthy (CDSME) Programs: Natasha Vos, Project Manager, nvos@unca.edu
For A Matter of Balance, Tai Chi for Arthritis, YMCA Moving for Better Balance, and the Otago Exercise Program (Falls Prevention): Ellen Bailey, Project Manager, ebailey@unca.edu
For data reporting and web needs: Janice Self, Data Administrator, healthyagingncinfo@gmail.com