Wellness Information Zone^SM Project

Health Information Leadership

A recent report by the Institute of Medicine found that more than 90 million Americans have difficulty obtaining, understanding, and acting on basic health information and services because they are unnecessarily complex. Humana believes in the power of clear information for positive change in health decision-making. We recognize that people need better methods to find and consider the vast quantity of health information available today.

As an acknowledged leader in consumer health information guidance for our health plan members, we want to share our expertise more broadly. With that objective in mind, The Humana Foundation is working to connect people with appropriate and reliable health information through a new initiative.

Working Together For Better Health

The Humana Foundation Wellness Information Zone Project uses a unique approach comprising trained librarians and Humana employees who will serve as Wellness Information Zone Guides, a user-friendly Website, health programming, and a distribution network of public libraries and community-based nonprofit organizations. Through this combination of Guides and tools, the goal is to improve the connection between people and health information, and, as a result, health status.

Partnership with Libraries

To implement this program, The Humana Foundation formed a partnership with Libraries for the Future (LFF), a national nonprofit that champions the role of libraries in American life.

Information is often synonymous with libraries, and Americans use and trust libraries more than any other community organization. Research indicates that the Internet has not put libraries out of business; indeed, it has contributed to their increased usage. Statistically, reference librarians answer more than seven million questions weekly, and about 20 percent of those requests are health-related.

Our Plans

The Initiative will:

• Emphasize "high touch," with Guides personally helping others access and use appropriate information, and "high tech," using Internet-based information about health issues and problems, healthy lifestyles, health finance, and local resources.
  
  
• Form an organized strategy to find accurate, current, and understandable health information. We'll give special attention to literacy levels required to read presented content.
  
  
• Use Humana business expertise and resources, including employee volunteers, in an innovative way to expand its outreach to the community.
  
  
• Evaluate the impact on the community and monitor the improvement of health experiences.
  
  

We launched a pilot program in Atlanta on September 12, 2007. As the pilot is refined and the success of the project grows, we will expand the initiative to other communities.

Wellness Information Zone The newly launched Website is open to the public with the goal of becoming the first choice for health and resource information. Organized as a portal, the Website helps users quickly locate trusted information. Visit www.wellzone.org

Project Update, September 2007 The Humana Foundation is working with three Atlanta area organizations that will house nine health information centers by summer 2007. The centers will include private areas equipped with computers and enhanced reference collections for librarians, volunteers, and the public to help them research health questions.