NHF and HPSM Celebrate Success of First Spanish SHAPEDOWN Program Revealing New Electronic Technology
September 21st, 2010
Recent Partnership between HPSM and NHF results in program-wide implementation of electronic PHITS technology, revealed at One-Year Anniversary Event.
The first-ever implemented Spanish version of the nationally acclaimed SHAPEDOWN Program, reported marketed success in its first year of completion, exceeding target enrollment by 200% and overall program success across all demographics, measured by health and weight metrics.
Majority of patients enrolled in the SHAPEDOWN (Spanish) Program are first-generation students with parents primarily of Hispanic decent, often coming from Spanish-only speaking families. The Spanish version of SHAPEDOWN catered to the needs of the Hispanic community in San Mateo County, fulfilling a nutrition education void and previously untapped segment of the population.
Nationwide statistics report a growing obesity epidemic. The SHAPEDOWN program addressed these issues, particularly in the San Mateo County helping to minimize and in some cases, eliminate the instances of obesity and diabetes in enrolled patients, and their families.
Implementation of new electronic technology, the Patient Health Information Tracking System (PHITS), in the Spanish version of the SHAPEDOWN program allowed for expanded success by improving and simplifying the overall program workflow and management, including appointment scheduling, patient information tracking, reporting and invoicing, allowing multiple groups and sessions to be conducted simultaneously in all locations throughout the county and providing real-time statistical information on the progress of patients and the program as a whole .
PHITS facilitated rapid expansion of the program, allowing the Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM) to reach a larger portion of the Hispanic community, helped reduce future health costs for the patients and the community, increased revenues beyond targeted goals and resulted in a strategic partnership between the Health Plan of San Mateo and NutraHealthFood for implementation of PHITS program-wide, with the potential to reach exponentially more patients across both the English and Spanish versions of the program.
From Program inception to date, majority metrics across the board show marked improvement across all demographics in child health and wellness.
The Spanish version of the Shapedown Program was executed by Vilma Andari, M.S. of NutraHealthFood , LLC in cooperation with the Health Plan of San Mateo in May 2009. Initially launched as a two-month pilot program, the rapid success of and need for the program resulted in the implementation of the long-term program and eventual partnership with NHF to implement PHITS.
The One-Year Anniversary Party will celebrate the unique partnership between the Health Plan of San Mateo (HPSM), San Mateo County Health System (SMCHS) and NutraHealthFood, LLC (NHF) that helped 100 Latino families achieve the weight management goals of their children.
To learn more of this event, please download the Media Advisory >>