The SCL Santa Clara County Volunteer Project is a multi-phase effort aimed at improving the health of County retirees through volunteerism, as well as improving the health and well-being of the recipients of the volunteerism and ultimately reducing the cost of medical care to the county. Working closely with the leadership of Santa Clara County, we first administered a survey to 4000 county workers and retirees. Using the information learned from the survey, we are now recruiting 250 retirees and near-retirees into volunteer roles in the community, initially as developmental screeners for young children ages 0 to 5, and are following them over a two year period. The final phase envisions a large-scale longitudinal study measuring physical and cognitive health outcomes, monitoring health care utilization, and examining expected reductions in health care costs among volunteers in a wide variety of County volunteer positions.
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