Healthy West Orange opens first off-campus HUBB

The satellite office for the Foundation for a Healthier West Orange is located at the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation – Healthy West Orange Heritage and Cultural Center.

By Amy Quesinberry
| 3:55 p.m. April 27, 2023

Healthy West Orange held a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the opening of its new HUBB satellite office with HWO foundation board members, past West Orange Healthcare District trustees, Winter Garden Heritage Foundation board members and staff, and others.

West Orange Times & Observer
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The Foundation for a Healthier West Orange has opened its first satellite office of HUBB, called HUBB Direct, in downtown Winter Garden. Healthy West Orange representatives held a ribbon-cutting program Tuesday, April 18, at its secondary space at the city of Winter Garden’s history office, archive and research center, 21 E. Plant St.

The building’s new name is The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation – Healthy West Orange Heritage and Cultural Center.

HUBB is an online, easy-to-access database of free- and reduced-cost whole-health resources for the West Orange community. Residents can find — in one location — community-based organizations that provide much-needed programs and services in a vast arena of topics, some of which don’t have high visibility.

“Every day, there are thousands of Central Floridians searching for services that help contribute to their overall health and well-being,” according to HWO. “Last year, more than 6,500 Orange County residents used HUBB to search for various programs and activities in our community.”

WHAT IS HUBB?
HUBB by Healthy West Orange is an easy-to-use online platform and physical resource center designed to connect residents to a variety of health and wellness services in the community.
HUBB Direct is the first satellite location for HUBB and serves as a physical resource for the community. The first is located at Winter Garden Heritage Foundation’s Healthy West Orange Heritage and Cultural Center.
HUBB Direct provides easy access to social activities, educational programs, healthcare, mental health providers, food pantries, housing assistance, caregiver resources and more – many of which are free or reduced-cost. The user-friendly tool is free and serves as a resource for folks wanting to improve their overall well-being.
HUBB can be accessed online at healthywestorange.org/HUBB; at the main HUBB at 1200 E. Plant St., or the new HUBB Direct at the WGHF center, 21 E. Plant St., both in Winter Garden; or by calling (407) 337-6920 to make in-person appointments. To learn more about HUBB, visit hwohubb.org.

The lobby of the WGHF building has been transformed into a colorful HWO station set up with an interactive touchscreen monitor that allows access to the local programs and resources. A large image of the mascot, Westly, is situated on the wall of the WGHF office waiting for guests to high five him, take a selfie and upload it to social media with the tag #High5Westly.

Tracy Swanson, HWO foundation CEO, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, “Building the healthiest community in the nation takes collaboration and intention, and we’re fortunate to have all that and more in West Orange.”

“We are grateful for being part of this dynamic endeavor by Healthy West Orange,” Crescitelli said. “This user-friendly, super-connected resource will ultimately benefit everyone.

Lesa Boettcher of Healthy West Orange demonstrated the new HUBB kiosk at the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation – Healthy West Orange Heritage and Cultural Center.

“We all strive to live healthy lives in today’s world, and the opportunities available to the public through this first HUBB Direct brings us even closer to our community,” said Jim Crescitelli, director of the WGHF. “We are proud to be included among and to benefit from Health West Orange’s commitment toward the cultural organizations located throughout West Orange County, and we look forward to nurturing HUBB.”

Angela Withers, president of Nehrling Gardens in Gotha, also spoke at the ceremony, praising the opportunities the HUBB Direct kiosk will provide and the benefits of forming partnerships in the community. An agreement between the gardens and the WGHF allows Nehrling to store its archives at the history organization’s research center.

Nehrling Gardens also has formed a partnership with Healthy West Orange and will serve as a HUBB Direct location. A similar kiosk will be set up during the transformation of Nehrling’s old garage wing into the Health West Orange Education Center at Nehrling Gardens.

“(Through) the Foundation for a healthier West Orange, we see a truly innovative and practical application of technology that will enable area residents to easily find the resources they need from health to education to outdoor activities to social services.”