Emerging Trends in Public Health
Sharing Session - 60 Minutes
Elizabeth Markle, PhD
Executive Director
Open Source Wellness
Elizabeth Markle, PhD
Executive Director
Open Source Wellness
Open Source Wellness (OSW) has developed a “Behavioral Pharmacy” model: a democratized delivery system for the fundamental behavioral drivers of human wellbeing. Spanning the clinical-community continuum and recently referred to as “The Next Generation of Behavioral Medicine,” OSW addresses the chronic, progressive, and behaviorally-mediated diseases that are driving human suffering and more than 85% of our national healthcare spending.
You may have heard that “Food is Medicine” or “Movement is Medicine.” At Open Source Wellness, we believe that “Community is Medicine.” We leverage the power of community to animate a very simple platform: MOVE (physical activity), NOURISH (healthy meals,) CONNECT (social support), and BE (stress reduction). The model has been implemented in a clinical setting (Alameda Health System), a community setting (Prevention Institute), and a low-income housing setting (Alameda Point Collaborative) with striking results.
Recent data shows decreases in depression (as measured by PHQ-9) from 15.3 to 6.3, (p < .001, d = -1.6), and blood pressure (systolic from 120.2 to 110.8, p < .05, d = -.6, diastolic from 77.7 to 72.9, p = .14, d = -.6), along with significant increases in minutes/exercise/week from 74.2 to 163.5, (p < .01, d = 1.0), and an increase in fruit and vegetable intake from 3.3 daily servings to 5.4, (p < .01, d = 1.24).
This session will explore the model and then focus on strategies for implementation in partnership with health departments. Open Source Wellness is a 501c3 nonprofit.