RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – Health Net Federal Services, LLC, part of the Government Contracts segment of Health Net, Inc. (NYSE:HNT) and the UCLA School of Public Health announced the health literacy social media program, T2X, is available to all cyber-savvy teens nationwide and Health Net Federal Services wants to ensure teens from military families are included.
The T2X website, www.t2x.me, offers a teen-only community of users, with teen and professionally produced content, competitions, games, quizzes, blogs, video sharing and other interactive and participatory communication methods. The site covers lifestyle issues for teens including: nutrition, fitness, stress management and substance abuse. Until recently, the program was previously limited to its study testing phase.
“It’s tough being a teenager today. It can be even tougher for those in military families, as they face unique challenges when a parent or loved one serves and is deployed and redeployed. The T2X program is a cutting-edge tool for teens to not only find support through the emotional cycles of deployment but also find the information to help them live a healthy and fulfilling life,” said Tom Carrato, president of Health Net Federal Services. “T2X empowers teens to take responsibility and become invested in their own health care and well-being.”
The T2X project was created as a result of a partnership between Health Net, Inc., UCLA School of Public Health and EPG Technologies. It was funded by a $1.1 million NIH research grant that tested whether an online social network would increase teens’ capacity to access and use their insurance, become more engaged in their health care and health behavior decisions, and develop pro-health attitudes.
On the T2X website, teens have access to:
- Chat online with health experts and ask questions about sensitive health topics that they may not be comfortable discussing with their physician
- Learn how to access health services
- Intelligent SMS campaign that allows teens to text keywords to a designated number and receive customized content back to their mobile devices
- Participate in health-oriented social networking through blogs, videos and other transmedia tools
The transmedia component of T2X is extremely unique as the project is the first of its kind to explore the effectiveness of this intervention. “Transmedia” is telling different parts of a story using different types of media, which provides opportunities for participants to get deeper into the story, topic and characters, eventually putting the story together into a coherent whole. Engaging the T2X community through transmedia storytelling may make issues related to health care literacy more relevant and engaging for teens as they transition into adulthood.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to engage the T2X community through transmedia storytelling to make issues related to health care literacy more relevant and engaging for teens as they transition into adulthood,” said Deborah Glik, professor for the UCLA School of Public Health and another one of the study’s collaborators.
For younger children, Health Net Federal Services offers a series of kids’ journals to help military children make sense of complex emotions during difficult times. My Life, a kid’s journal, is for children with a parent or loved one who is deployed. My Life Continued is for children who have lost a parent or loved one who served in the U.S. Armed Forces. My Life As I Move is for children who are embarking on yet another Permanent Change of Station (PCS). The journals are free and available to download.
About Health Net
Health Net Federal Services, a subsidiary of Health Net, Inc., has a long history of providing cost-effective, quality managed health care programs for government agencies, including the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs. As the managed care support contractor for the TRICARE North Region, Health Net provides health care services to approximately 3.0 million uniformed services beneficiaries, active and retired, and their families. In addition, Health Net provides quality, cost-effective health care solutions for veterans, as well as behavioral health services for active duty service members, veterans and their families. Visit Health Net at www.healthnet.com, www.hnfs.com and www.facebook.com/healthnetfederalservices.
About The UCLA School of Public Health
The UCLA School of Public Health is dedicated to enhancing the public’s health by conducting innovative research; training future leaders and health professionals; translating research into policy and practice; and serving local, national and international communities. For more information, visit www.ph.ucla.edu.
