California Institute of Integral Studies, Aetna Foundation Bring Free Wellness Coaching to Supportive Housing Residents in Sa...
January 23 2012 - 5:03PM
Business Wire
The California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) today held a
kick-off event to introduce its new onsite health and wellness
coaching program for children and families living at 10th &
Mission Family Housing, a 12-story supportive housing facility
recently built by Mercy Housing California.
Made possible through a $30,000 grant from the Aetna Foundation,
the three-year pilot program will provide residents with a
comprehensive range of free, high-quality health and wellness
services more typically associated with more affluent populations,
such as one-on-one coaching, exercise and fitness workshops,
healthful meal preparation classes, trips to local farmers’
markets, pain management techniques, stress reduction and
meditation, family yoga classes, tai chi and, in the second year,
acupuncture.
Barbara Garcia, director of the San Francisco Department of
Public Health said, “Healthful eating, exercise and empowering
people to take charge of their health are central to the city’s
public health agenda for a healthier San Francisco. By actively
engaging our community in healthy behaviors, particularly our most
vulnerable citizens, we can move away from a health strategy
focused on acute care to one of maintaining wellness. We applaud
efforts like this that have the potential to serve as a model for
the rest of the nation.”
Located in San Francisco’s Mid-Market District, 10th &
Mission Family Housing is home to 450 residents, including 141
children under the age of 16. The facility serves families with
very low-incomes – 50 percent of the city’s median -- with 30
percent of the apartment units set aside for formerly homeless
families. Many residents have, or are at risk of developing,
serious and often chronic health conditions and behavioral health
disorders, including obesity, cardiovascular and respiratory
diseases, diabetes, hypertension, anxiety, depression and substance
abuse.
“This is the first time that integrative wellness coaching will
be widely used for residents of supportive housing,” said Professor
Meg Jordan, chair of the CIIS Integrative Health Studies program.
“We believe we can transform the health of low-income communities
by using proven best practices from private sector health and
wellness programs supplemented by complementary medicine programs,
such as acupuncture and yoga.”
She noted that the CIIS integrative wellness coaching model has
already achieved national recognition and an academic award from
the National Wellness Institute.
“Research shows that physical activity and diets rich in fruits
and vegetables can prevent obesity and its related diseases, which
disproportionally affect low-income and minority populations,” said
Sharon Dalton, vice president of the Aetna Foundation, who manages
the Foundation’s regional grant-making program.
“The CIIS program will both educate residents on healthy
behaviors and assist them in accessing safe, convenient, and
affordable resources to use the lessons they have learned. We are
pleased to provide our support,” she said.
In addition to the wellness coaching and workshops, the CIIS
program will train key community members as peer wellness coaches
to promote and sustain a culture of healthy behaviors among the
residents of 10th and Mission Family Housing.
Partnering with CIIS on the wellness pilot program are Mercy
Housing California, which owns and manages the 136-unit apartment
building, and Catholic Charities CYO, which provides social
services at the facility.
“10th & Mission residents have been very receptive to our
plans for the program and are eager to share their health concerns
and what they would like to get out of it,” said Molly Hartle,
CIIS’s wellness project manager. “We can’t wait to get
started.”
About CIIS
California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is an
internationally recognized leader in integral education. CIIS has
an enrollment of 1,400 students pursuing degrees in seventeen
academic programs in its schools of Consciousness and
Transformation, Professional Psychology, and Undergraduate Studies.
In addition, CIIS hosts a vibrant art exhibition program through
The Arts at CIIS, as well as offering a dynamic array of events
through its Public Programs & Performances division, including
workshops, concerts, and conferences. The Institute provides
low-cost mental health services to the San Francisco Bay Area
through its six award-winning counseling centers. For more
information about CIIS, visit www.ciis.edu.
About the Aetna Foundation
The Aetna Foundation, Inc. is the independent charitable and
philanthropic arm of Aetna Inc. Since 1980, Aetna and the
Aetna Foundation have contributed $394 million in grants and
sponsorships, including $15.6 million in 2010. As a national
health foundation, we promote wellness, health, and access to
high-quality health care for everyone. This work
is enhanced by the time and commitment of Aetna
employees, who have volunteered more than 2.3 million
hours since 2003. Our current giving is focused
on addressing the rising rate of adult and childhood obesity
in the U.S.; promoting racial and ethnic equity in health and
health care; and advancing integrated health care. For more
information, visit www.AetnaFoundation.org.
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