FY 23-24 Program Report

Agency Name: Volunteer Center of Santa Cruz County Program Name: Healthy Connections Equity Dimension: Disability

Condition: Health & Wellness Tier: Small Budget: $24,685.00

Annual Goal FY 23-24	Annual Goal FY 23-24
Unduplicated Participants     Total Unduplicated Participants 300 380	How Many Activities/Services Will Be Provided?     3 Training/Education Class Series: 4-6 Week EBP Type 2 Diabetes Prevention and Control Sessions   3 8 2 specialized physical activity groups per week for participants with a focus on mindful movement and cardio 2 2 Access to free and healthy food options 5 days/week at the Community Connection food pantry.  5 5 Peer lifestyle coaching three days per week including specialized nutrition and exercise plans 3 3
Annual Goal FY 23-24 Age     0-5 0% 0% 6-18 0% 0% 19-59 80% 85% 60+ 20% 15% Unknown 0% 0%	Annual Goal FY 23-24 Language     English 75% 73% Spanish 25% 23% Other 0% 2% Unknown 0% 2%
Ethnicity     African American 12% 5% Asian 8% 5% Latino 25% 35% Multi-racial 0% 5% Native American/Alaskan 3% 2% Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander 0% 0% White 40% 42% Other 12% 6% Unknown 0% 0%	Gender     Female 35% 50% Male 43% 40% Transgender- Female 8% 3% Transgender- Male 4% 2% Other 0% 2% Unknown 0% 1% Nonbinary 10% 2%
Location     Capitola 5% 6% Santa Cruz 35% 32% Scotts Valley 3% 5% Watsonville 29% 30% Unincorporated Mid-County (e.g., Live Oak, Soquel, Aptos ) 7% 5% Unincorporated North County (e.g. , Davenport )  0% 0% Unincorporated San Lorenzo Valley (e.g., Ben Lomond ) 8% 10% Unincorporated South County (e.g., Freedom ) 1% 1% Unknown 12% 10% Out of County 0% 1%

Annual Goal FY 23-24   Annual Goal FY 23-24 How Well Did We Provide Service?     How many participants did you survey? 300 320 80% of program participants report being either “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with program services as measured by a one-question participant survey that will be completed by June 30th of each FY 80% 90% Program will have an 80% participant retention rate, as measured by attendance in the Diabetes Prevention and Control classes, physical activity groups, Community Connection pantry pickups, and peer and lifestyle coaching. Attendance records will be revie 80% 85%

Annual Goal FY 23-24   Annual Goal FY 23-24 Is Anyone Better Off?     As a result of program activities, 85% of adults with a mental health diagnosis will report having improved mental health, specifically participants will report improved quality of life through improved physical health by exercising and maintaining a healthy diet, as measured by participants self-reporting in quarterly surveys.  85% 94%

Additional CORE Questions  (The maximum length is limited to 1200 characters in the below boxes)
1. Briefly describe any progress and/or successes your CORE program achieved implementing its activities during FY 2023-2024. (Recommended 2-4 sentences)	An increase in peer health coaches, outreach, and classes plus upgrading food bags has expanded participants and brought more people to receive services from the program from underserved, low income housing who have mental health challenges. This field is required
2. (Optional, Success Stories) Please share a short story about the experience of a participant or family that received services funded through this contract during FY 2023-2024. Please state the specific activity that was provided and the impact or positive change that occurred as a result of the service(s) provided. *Please make sure to change any identifying information, such as names.*	We held a downtown class in partnership with the ElPalomar Inn housing which has low income folks with limited cooking abilities who generally all qualify for social assistance and MediCal. We provided exercise classes and healthy eating plus mental health awareness for 15 residents. One resident shared that she was able to eat more healthy foods and find a chance to increase her exercise which she credited with giving her better sleep, and more energy along with improved mental health by decreasing her depression. She is a senior who reports self isolating, but states she increased activity and social outings thanks to the class.
3. Please describe any challenges your agency experienced in implementing its CORE funded program.	There were none. This field is required
4.Have you encountered challenges in collecting CORE program or participant data?	Yes No This field is required
5. If you answered yes, what challenges did you experience? (Recommended 2-4 sentences)	none
6. What technical assistance can HSD or the CORE Institute provide to support your data collection activities?	none at this time This field is required
7. During FY 2023-2024, did your CORE program staff participate in a CORE Institute event (e.g., Coffee Chats or Conversations)?	Yes No This field is required
8. During FY 2023-2024, how did your CORE program engage its staff on issues of equity?	We had a women's class for folks in the Latino population who wanted a class for people identifying as women to hike, exercise, and discuss body issues. This field is required
9. In the CORE RFP, your program indicated an equity issue your program would address. How has your program impacted this equity issue in FY 2023-2024?	More people with mental health diagnoses had access to healthy foods which helped them improve eating habits. They were able to engage in physical activity which improved physical and mental health. We expanded location to more people from low income housing, and included more folks with Substance use disorder among class participants in Watsonville programs in addition to a women's walk and hike health class. This field is required