Justin Jackson, MA, is Director of Personal Well-being at the University of Utah Osher Center. Jackson started this newly created role on July 1 with the goal of housing all patient and employee wellness programming and services at the new Osher Center for Integrative Health, which was funded to become part of the Osher Collaborative in 2022. 

“Many of the university’s wellness services were created in silos,” said Jackson. “Now that we are an Osher Center, we are able to host all of these programs and services under one roof.” Some of the many offerings managed by Jackson and the Osher Center include diabetes prevention programs, intensive lifestyle programs, massage therapy, health coaching, and employee wellness programs. 

Perhaps the most unique program offered by Osher Center at University of Utah is the Wellness Bus. This mobile unit is run by multicultural and multi-lingual staff and travels to different community sites around the state to provide free health screenings, coaching, and education to the public. The Wellness Bus visits six sites each week and there is no shortage of patients who utilize these convenient services. “The purpose of the Wellness Bus is to remove barriers to care,” said Jackson. “We don’t want people to have to choose between going to work and going to the doctor, or buying food over buying medicine. Through building trust in the community, we can deliver resources that people will actually use and ease the stress associated with receiving health care.” 

This mobile wellness model not only empowers patients to receive accessible healthcare, but eliminates the pressure to travel for quality health care. Instead of referring patients to University of Utah, the Wellness Bus refers patients to community clinics based on specific needs. Jackson sits on many community boards and is focused on connecting local organizations to better serve the community. “If we partner with multiple community organizations, we can support each other and deliver better care,” said Jackson. 

Much of Jackson’s work is about making connections and finding natural synergies to better impact the health system at-large. This is why Jackson is happy to be a new member of the Osher Collaborative. “What excites me about the Collaborative is that there isn’t a playbook established yet,” said Jackson. “Here we can make our own path, see what’s effective, and share these strategies internationally.”