Caitlin Whyte (Host): This is Community Connect presented by Tampa General Hospital. I'm Caitlin Whyte. Joining me today for our panel discussion on the role of technology in personalizing wellness are Rachel Hoyer, Assistant Director of Community Wellness at Tampa General Hospital, and Chedeline Dorelus, Director of Community Partnerships for Village Well. Rachel and Chedeline welcome. Well, we're here today to talk about Tampa Well, and specifically an exciting new free app centered on health and wellness. Rachel, can you start by giving a little background on what Tampa Well is?

Rachel Hoyer, MHA, MS: Sure. So Tampa Well is Tampa General Hospital's newest community facing initiative. We launched about two and a half years ago now in partnership with the City of Tampa, with the idea of working together, really taking a grassroots approach to improve the health and wellbeing of our community. Since then, we've been able to work with about a hundred different partners across the Tampa Bay area to move that needle forward with improving the health of our community members.

And interesting enough, the idea of this concept actually came to us from an organization over in Italy. They have been doing this type of community work for about 25 years now, and they have seen some incredible health outcomes as a result. Because of that, they wanted to see if they could replicate that model across the nation.

And so one thing led to another and they were connected with Tampa General Hospital. When the idea was presented to us, we said, of course, this is perfect. This is exactly what we want to be doing as part of our strategic plan, to really take health outside of the four walls of Tampa General Hospital and look at what we could do as a city, as a community to improve the health.

So here we are almost three years later, and really being able to make that positive impact on our community, we have a strong focus on movement, nutrition and access to nutritious foods as well as positive mental health.

Host: Well, this sounds like such a great resource that really amplifies the importance of the role of technology in personalizing your own health and wellness journey. Now, Rachel, what else makes this app so revolutionary for our community?

Rachel Hoyer, MHA, MS: So the app is really cool, and one of the pieces that I think really makes it different from a Fitbit or a Garmin or MyFitnessPal, some of those health and wellness apps that we're all familiar with and probably use on a daily basis. But this app is customized to Tampa Bay, and what I mean by that is everything you find on it is unique.

So everything from our challenges to our events, to our health and nutrition tips. All of those are coming from either local experts such as our own Tampa General Hospital employees, or individuals that work for our partners that they're providing some of that expert content. Or it could be things that are customized for the community that we're in. So for example, we all know that we should be getting or aiming to get 10,000 steps in a day to really focus on that movement piece. But instead of just providing that health tip, the app will say things like, not only should you get your steps in, but why don't you check out Bayshore Fitness Trail. Did you know it was one of the longest sidewalks in the United States? Check out this beautiful space to get your movement in for the day. So really just customizing that content to fit our community and hopefully what they're looking for.

Host: Oh, I love that. And Chedeline would you please share your thoughts on the app and its benefit for our community?

Chedeline Doreles: Absolutely. Rachel covered pretty much the whole scope of it, but that community personalized touch is really what makes the Tampa Well app stand out from others. It allows users who are also not necessarily fitness minded or are looking to restart their wellness journeys, those simple, easy steps that they can take every day in order to be able to do so.

So we're looking at you, person on the couch, who's been thinking about it since January, but realized around Easter that they still haven't gotten to it. There are easy things that you can do every single day that can get you closer and closer to your goals of wellness. And the app encourages everyone to be able to do those things.

Host: I love that. Well, I'll stay with you, Chedeline for this next one. How do you use technology to incentivize a community to be well?

Chedeline Doreles: Yeah, so everyone's on their phones. Everyone is engaging either with the internet, on their devices and it can be smartphone, it can be just a mobile phone, an iPad, a tablet, whatever the case may be. We're all locked in to each other across the globe, so why not take the opportunity while you're mindlessly scrolling on your phone or through social media to move toward wellness?

And the app is so simple with the design, but also the tasks that people are being asked to do. So the uniqueness of the app also includes the Daily Three, which is the gamified version of wellness. We're asking folks to move, to think about their wellness and to connect with their community around wellness oriented activities, events, and things of the like and all of these things can accrue you points, which you can redeem for an Amazon gift card. So with all of the things that are going on, again, that you could be doing on your phone, scrolling on TikTok and scrolling on YouTube, the app offers the opportunity to scroll, but to actually be moving your body and moving your mind toward wellness. So it is definitely, definitely an incentive to get up and do something.

Host: And on that note, Chedeline, how does the app challenge traditional wellness initiatives and encourage that growth?

Chedeline Doreles: Yes. So this app is more for the everyday person who's looking to find ways to expand wellness. And when we say wellness, we're talking about the body, mind, and soul, right? Wellness sometimes can be very boring to certain people. When they hear wellness, they think of either, you know, Herculean tasks at the gym, or doing tons and tons of different things in order to make their bodies optimal.

But when we say wellness, we're talking about these baby steps, these things that over time will yield significant change. So with the Daily Three, which is the gamified version, the game within the app, users are encouraging to move, at least to walk 3000 steps to accrue points. Think, about a myriad of health topics, right?

So we're looking at sleep hygiene, nutrition, overall wellness. What healthy components of a plate look like for a meal. And then users are engaged to connect with community partners and wellness activities like Rachel mentioned, that are specifically unique to the Tampa Bay region.

So you're looking at things that you may have not known of, or what is the library system doing to encourage wellness? What arecommunity partners doing to encourage wellness? So all of these things are what make the app so unique, and it also encourages folks to think about wellness as opposed to going to the gym and traditional fitness, but how they can maximize wellness overall in their bodies and their minds and their souls.

Host: Thank you. And my last question is for the both of you. How does the app promote a sense of community and belonging for its users and Chedeline, would you mind answering first?

Chedeline Doreles: Absolutely. And for those of you listening, VillageWell.co is where you can go to get the app, download it, and engage either on your mobile devices or on the web. We do have a website for those users who may want to sit and plan out their weekends or plan out their weeks with what's going on in the community, but that is it.

We have nonprofits on the platform that are doing wellness related work, so you can find opportunities to volunteer. You can find opportunities to do yoga on the lawn at the TGH Community Garden on 30th. You can find opportunities to walk with a Doc or to visit the Bay Shore Fitness Trail and walk with a run club that is local to the community.

There's no excuse using this app for users not to be able to get out and meet someone like-minded, meet a community of folks that are engaged in the same things that they enjoy.And also we have faith-based organizations on the platform. There are so many ways to be able to engage with the Tampa Bay community on this platform using the Connect tab, and we encourage folks to really be able to do that.

So, head to your app stores. Download the Tampa Well app villagewell.co is also the link for those that want to go on the website, but you'll also be able to find community on the platform.

Host: Great, and Rachel, close us out with your thoughts on promoting a sense of community and belonging through this app.

Rachel Hoyer, MHA, MS: Man, I don't know if I have much to add. Chedeline did such a fantastic job of really highlighting that connective piece of the app. But one thing I will say is everything that we have done with the Tampa Well Initiative, and specifically the app, you know, has been really intentional. And our goal with the intentionality is to not have another Tampa General Hospital initiative that is being pushed onto the community.

Instead, we really want the community reaching out to us and telling us, what would you like to see? The sky's the limit. What are those services? What are those programs? What are those opportunities that you would like to be able to be able to participate in or be exposed to? And so with that, we've been really intentional with identifying those key partners that share our mission and are those partners that allow us to really create that inclusive environment that no matter how old you are or what part of Tampa you live in or at what stage of your wellness journey you are on, there is something that you can engage with, something that you can participate in, so that way you can find your community and you can hopefully continue that journey to be well.

Host: Well, thank you both so much for joining us on the show today and for all the work you do for our patients and our community.

That has been Rachel Hoyer and Chedeline Dorelus, discussing the pioneering Tampa Well app. For more information, please visit us online at tgh.org/tampawell. And if you enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, subscribe, and follow Community Connect presented by TGH on your favorite podcast platform. I'm Caitlin Whyte, and this is Community Connect presented by TGH. Thanks for listening.