Let’s Get Connected! 

Public Health Solutions Creation of a Virtual Network for Seniors 

Social Determinants of Health:

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in 

the environment where people are born, live, work, play, 

worship and age. They affect a wide range of health, 

functioning, and quality of life outcomes and risks. 

Public Health Solutions’ program focuses on the following 

SDOH objectives: 

1. Decreasing household food insecurity and hunger 

2. Increasing health literacy of the population

3. Increasing number of community organizations that 

provide prevention services. 

Overview of the program: Healthy People 2030

Public Health Solutions supports the East Harlem Village (EHV) Network. This program offers nutrition 

education, SNAP assistance, and groceries to older adults in East Harlem. The goal for EHV Network is to 

address food insecurity and social isolation by enhancing partnerships and creating a virtual 

network. The network is geared towards public housing residents and other low-income older adults. It 

provides them with a link to services to improve food security, social connectedness, health outcomes, 

and the likelihood that residents will age in place with dignity. The project is supported by Public Health 

Solutions’ SNAP enrollment work. SNAP provides the training, tracking, and outreach resources that make 

it feasible for the EHV Network to provide SNAP assistance. 

Partners: 

EHV is a collaboration amongst more than 25 partners. A primary partner, Carter Burden Network, has a 

formal contract agreement with Public Health Solutions for this project. Other partners utilize a less 

formal agreement and remain engaged through a quarterly meeting to discuss best practices and 

operational flow methods. A monthly newsletter helps keep partners up-to-date between quarterly 

meetings. Successful partnerships have endured due to Public Health Solutions’ commitment to 

listening to that which partners want versus need. 

Funding and Sustainability:

Funding to support Public Health Solutions’ EHV includes braiding of a variety of resources. 

o SNAP*

o Health Bucks*

o Robin Hood foundation

o In-kind donations*

o The Get Connected tablet pilot program

o New York Academy of Medicine

o Private donations*

o Older Americans Act Title III funding

o New York City Housing Authority

o Fundraising campaigns*

Sustainability of this project is promising due to the variety of referring partners and partners’ interest in 

the well-being of their community. Public Health Solutions will also seek additional local, state and 

federal funding opportunities.

*Indicates sustainable efforts.
Timeline

2017-2018

• July 2017

 Funding: Samuels Foundation award of funding. 

 Implementation: SNAPilicious! was created. 

2019

• Fall 2019

 Awarded Grant: Received ACL INNU Grant. 

 Partnership: Established partnership with Carter Burden Network. 

 Recruitment: Recruited 10+ partners to start. 

 Technology: Configured screening tool in technology platform. 

2020

• Spring 2020

 SNAP: Started to provide SNAP enrollment assistance. 

 Emergency Preparedness: Emergency food support to New York Housing Authority. 

• Fall 2020

 Referrals: Ongoing participant referral data collection. 

 Monthly Newsletter: Implementation of monthly newsletter for partners. 

 Technology: Launched six-month tablet initiative providing loaned tablets with unlimited 

access to internet and virtual senior center activities with six participants. 

2021

• Spring 2021

 Nutrition Education: Implementation of six-week nutrition education curriculum. 

 Technology: Expanded tablet pilot to 49 participants with the help of donor funds. 

 Screening & Referral: Updated electronic screening tool and referral tracking process. 

 Partnerships: Launched collaboration with Geriatric Clinic at Lincoln Hospital, administering 

UCLA’s loneliness scale. New programs and partnerships such as nutrition curriculum with a 

food justice component and workshops around intercultural dialogue and food systems

• Fall & Winter 2021

 Development: Data dashboard. 

 Technology: Ongoing technical assistance coordination for tablet project participants. 

2022

• Spring & Summer 2022

 Funding: Fundraising efforts to support EHV activities, specifically case management and 

individual support.

 Development: Virtual grocery store tours. 

 Nutrition Curriculum: In-person nutrition curriculum development and implementation 
Advice for Replication: 

“Ask and truly listen to what partners and participants want in order to provide a service 

participants will use.” 

Public Health Solutions

Public Health Solutions shares that successful implementation of a program like East Harlem 

Village relies upon a strong referral technology platform and reliable partners as part of the 

process. Rolling out a new service through the height of the Covid-19 pandemic was a challenge. 

However, the pandemic did present opportunities to venture into new territory. 

Public Health Solutions also stresses the need for a responsive and accountable network when 

providing a resource such as East Harlem Village to the community. 

Tools and Resources:

1. Older Population Quality of Life (OPQOL) Brief Questionnaire. https://ilcuk.org.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2019/03/OPQOL-full-questionnaire.pdf

2. Food Research & Action Center. Hunger Vital Sign (TM). Hunger Vital SignTM - Food Research & 

Action Center (frac.org)

3. Healthy People 2030, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease 

Prevention and Health Promotion. Retrieved July 27, 2022, from 

https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health

This project was supported in part by grant number 90PPNU0002 from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of 

Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects with government sponsorship are encouraged 

to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official ACL 

policy.