The John A. Hartford Foundation Board of Trustees Approves New Grants
The John A. Hartford Foundation Board of Trustees approved six grants totaling $10,131,568 that will make public health and health care more age-friendly, assist older adults and family caregivers in decision making during serious illness, advance policies that support both direct care workers and family caregivers and continue elevating aging issues in philanthropy.
Trust for America’s Health
Phase III: Nationally Embed and Sustain Age-Friendly Public Health Systems, Policies and Practices ($2,801,756 for 3 years)
This grant will support Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) to elevate healthy aging as a core public health function in federal, state and local health departments through the Age-Friendly Public Health Systems initiative. Since 2018, TFAH has led the development of a public health framework focused on older adults, engaged 12 states in age-friendly public health activities, supported national accreditation standards, created a recognition program for health departments and professionals and partnered with the US Department of Health & Human Services on regional and national workshops. In this phase, at least 10 more states will adopt policies and practices to ensure aging as a core component of public health and will further expand the recognition program.
Case Western Reserve University
Ambulatory Care Continuum Value-Based Care Evaluation, Scale-up, Sustainment and Spread ($2,557,149 for 3 years)
This project follows a successful implementation grant in which more than 1,100 MinuteClinics in select CVS pharmacies across the United States achieved Age-Friendly Health Systems Committed to Care Excellence recognition. In this grant, the Case Western Reserve University Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing will continue working with MinuteClinic, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement and the University of California, San Francisco to document improvements in care of approximately 1.2 million older adults seen annually in the clinics, assess equity in outcomes and evaluate the economic impact from a Medicare payer perspective. This phase will also expand age-friendly care to other CVS Health services. CVS Health provides funding for leadership support and clinician professional development.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Moving Hospital at Home into the Mainstream of Health Care Delivery, Addressing Health Equity and Supporting Family Caregiving ($2,180,678 for 3 years)
The goal of this project is to facilitate the mainstreaming of Hospital at Home programs in US health care delivery, while conducting research on health equity and the role of family caregivers. The Hospital at Home model has been proven to provide acute-level care safely and effectively in the home for older adults. This grant will continue support for expanding a Hospital at Home Users Group for adopting health systems and continue to promote permanent Medicare payment. Researchers from the Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Medically Home lead the project and will conduct qualitative research on the impact on diverse and underserved patient populations and the experience of family caregivers.
FAIR Health
National Initiative to Advance Cost Information in Shared Decision-Making for Older Adults with Serious Health Conditions: Phase II Implementation Project ($1,832,042 for 3 years)
FAIR Health, a national, independent source of health care cost data, will improve health care engagement for older adults, family caregivers and clinicians by implementing and promoting shared-decision making tools within four recognized Age-Friendly Health Systems sites. The tools developed in a prior planning grant help patients and families to understand cost and treatment options based on clinical risks and outcomes, allowing them to make decisions aligned with their preferences and values. This next phase will engage at least 40,000 website users; launch a national dissemination campaign reaching 10 million people; evaluate the value of the tools to patients, caregivers and clinicians; and educate policymakers.
Grantmakers in Aging
Core Support Renewal: Building an Aging Philanthropy Movement ($385,344 for 3 years)
This grant will continue support for Grantmakers in Aging (GIA), the membership association of funders in the field of aging. Funding will support GIA’s efforts to grow membership and deepen member engagement; provide opportunities for learning, collaboration and co-funding among funders; strengthen communications to elevate aging within philanthropy; and champion age-inclusive policies and funding mechanisms.
PHI
The Family Caregiver and Direct Care Worker Initiative ($374,599 for 2 years)
This project’s goal is to better integrate support for both direct care workers and family caregivers who form the frontline of support for older adults who reside in their homes by assisting with daily activities such as eating, bathing and dressing. Funding will enable PHI, the leading national non-profit supporting direct-care workers, and the National Alliance for Caregiving to identify and map the health and social service regulations, training, health systems technology needs and funding mechanisms that affect the interconnected relationship between family caregivers and direct care workers. The project will present policy recommendations to educate federal and select state policymakers.