The Office of Healthy Opportunities was formed in 2018 to work with communities served by Indiana FSSA to integrate social drivers of health—including racial and social equity—into agency programs and services.
Mission
To identify and alleviate social risk factors to improve Hoosiers’ health and wellbeing.
Our work
The Office of Healthy Opportunities work centers on four focus areas: community engagement, program and policy design, workforce development, and accountability and evidence.
- Community engagement: create a more effective process for communicating constituent experiences with FSSA leadership and staff that meaningfully addresses community need and the lived expertise of those receiving FSSA services.
- Program and policy design: ensure programs are developed and modified to support the needs of FSSA constituents, especially those facing multiple barriers.
- Workforce development: ensure agency staff are knowledgeable about the range of barriers and needs of FSSA constituents; how to address those needs; and to attract and retain staff who have lived experience and expertise to serve FSSA populations.
- Accountability and evidence: support creation of, accomplishment, and ongoing revision of goals related to health equity and guide agency leadership in moving toward those efforts.
Our team
OHO is comprised of a multidisciplinary team with expertise in advocacy, medicine, program design, public health, law and policy, research, and quality improvement. Our staff manage agency ADA compliance while informing barrier reduction strategies across FSSA divisions. Staff also seek feedback from community members, partner organizations, and FSSA programs to inform efforts related to social determinants of health across the agency. Our research and evaluation efforts are also informed by our partnership with WISE Indiana.
Get involved
You can contact the Office of Healthy Opportunities and learn more about our projects by emailing healthyopportunities@fssa.in.gov.
ADA Notice
In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and other applicable civil rights laws, FSSA does not discriminate against a qualified individual based on race, disability, religion, sex, or national origin in the receipt of or participation in services, programs, or other activities made available to other similarly qualified individuals.
Upon request, FSSA will provide appropriate aids, services or other reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with a disability to the best of our ability. Anyone who requires an auxiliary aid or service to equally participate in any FSSA program, service, or activity may contact the ADA Coordinator with the Office of Healthy Opportunities at ada@fssa.in.gov. Please submit requests to the ADA Coordinator at least two business days prior to when you will need the aids, services or other reasonable accommodations.
FSSA also strives to maintain a website that is compliant with all digital guidelines and is open to feedback. To provide feedback, file a complaint, or request assistance please contact the ADA Coordinator at ada@fssa.in.gov. If you experience other accessibility barriers, please refer to FSSA’s Accessibility Barrier Removal Policy. Refer to the Service Animal Notice for information on FSSA's approach to engaging visitors with service animals.
Please note, FSSA is not required to take any action that would fundamentally alter the nature of its programs or services or provide an accommodation that would impose an undue financial or administrative burden.