NORFOLK, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--A campaign to launch a community-wide initiative, “Healthier Hampton Roads,” was announced at the Hampton Roads Health Literacy Community Leadership Forum on June 21, 2019 at Old Dominion University.
The initiative is a partnership between EdLogics, a digital health communications company focused on transforming the way people learn about health, Old Dominion University and Global Action Platform and designed to increase health literacy, workforce productivity, and economic prosperity throughout Hampton Roads.
This invitation-only forum of thought leaders across the Hampton Roads community identified the importance of improving health literacy because of its significant impact on the health and lives of our citizens, healthcare costs, and the long-term economic prosperity in the region. Health literacy is one of the strongest predictors of an individual’s health status, and federal reports indicate that poor health knowledge costs the U.S. economy as much as $238 billion annually. Those with lower health literacy have higher mortality rates, more hospital stays, and more emergency room visits.
Governor Tommy Thompson, former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, and former Governor of Wisconsin, and Chairman of EdLogics made the call to action: “Healthier Hampton Roads will be a multi-stakeholder, integrated, community-based program that bridges the work site, home, and community,” he said. “It will connect all of Hampton Roads through an interactive digital health platform that provides a vehicle for increasing awareness, communication, education, engagement, and behavior change.”
According to Jim Spore, president and CEO for Reinvent Hampton Roads, “It’s all about the workforce – quantity, availability, and quality. Quality includes health of the workforce, as well as skills and productivity.” He added, “79 percent of businesses cite a healthy workforce as a key factor in guiding a location choice for expansion and new facilities, and 98 percent of businesses say that knowledge of an at-risk healthcare population with high rates of chronic conditions prevents them from building and expanding in that location.”
Spore also reported that healthcare experts in Hampton Roads identify mental health, opioid abuse, and chronic condition management as critical needs that must be addressed in our region.” On a positive note, he noted, “Cities in Hampton Roads have very high rates of digital media use and are poised to benefit from digital health literacy resources.”
“Improving health literacy is a key requirement for achieving behavior change, reducing healthcare costs, and improving health outcomes,” said Thomas M. Chamberlain, PharmD, founder and CEO of EdLogics. “Achieving behavior change at a community level requires people and organizations coming together through collaborative coalitions involving corporations, municipalities, non-profit organizations, health systems, universities, school systems, faith-based institutions, foundations, and philanthropists. Such collaboration is a key goal for “Healthier Hampton Roads.”
ODU’s College of Health Sciences and Strome Entrepreneurial Center/Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (IIE) sponsored the Forum on behalf of ODU. “We share the vision of Healthier Hampton Roads, EdLogics, and Global Action Platform since healthcare is rapidly being transformed through innovation. A healthy population and community have a direct impact on our region’s overall prosperity, workforce development, and economic growth.” said Nancy Grden, executive director, Strome Entrepreneurial Center.
“In today’s highly competitive global economy, health is a key economic driver,” said Scott T. Massey, PhD, chairman and CEO of Global Action Platform. “Healthy citizens are more productive, more creative, and provide a competitive advantage for any regional economy dedicated to growth and shared prosperity. Global Action Platform is working with EdLogics as a strategic partner to launch Healthier Hampton Roads and help build a new national model that can be created first here, replicated in our headquarters city of Nashville, and then shared nationally.”
Featured Forum speakers included:
More information on Healthier Hampton Roads and the Hampton Roads Health Literacy Community Leadership Forum can be found at www.healthierhamptonroads.org.
About EdLogics (www.edlogics.com)
EdLogics is a digital health communications company focused on transforming the way people learn about health. We provide employers, health plans, healthcare organizations, and government agencies a health education platform that improves health literacy and drives positive health behaviors by educating people in fun and engaging ways. The EdLogics Platform leverages innovative methods rooted in behavioral science including gamification, game-based learning, and unique incentive strategies to deliver a personalized, highly effective learning experience across a broad range of health topics.
About Old Dominion University (www.odu.edu)
Old Dominion University, located in the coastal city of Norfolk, is Virginia's entrepreneurial-minded doctoral research university with more than 24,000 students, rigorous academics, an energetic residential community, and initiatives that contribute $2.6 billion annually to Virginia's economy.
About Global Action Platform (www.globalactionplatform.org)
Global Action Platform is the leading university-business alliance advancing scalable, sustainable solutions for abundant food, health, and prosperity. As a national collective impact organization, Global Action Platform works with partners as a trusted convener to create high impact. Through its ongoing programs, Global Action Platform mobilizes leadership, makes impact investments, leverages technology/analytics, and shares findings through global communications.