FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: AoA Press Office
(202) 401-4541

AoA Announces New Funding Opportunity

The Administration on Aging (AoA) announced today in the Federal Register the availability of funding to support innovative approaches to care management in the Aging Services Network. The program will fund existing practices and new ideas that can promote the integration of health and social supports for older people, and strengthen the position of the Aging Services Network in health and long term care.

“We believe this new program holds great promise for demonstrating how the core values and competencies of our Aging Services Network can be effectively combined with managed care models and approaches to enhance the quality of care for our growing elderly population,” said Josefina G. Carbonell, AoA’s Assistant Secretary for Aging. “This program is part of a larger strategic effort AoA has undertaken to strengthen the role of community aging services programs in promoting a more balanced and integrated system of health and long term care for older people.”

As new options for older people are emerging in health and long-term care, managed care is playing an increasingly important role. The grants program is specifically designed to identify and support innovations in aging services that involve the use of partnerships with managed care organizations, and capitated financing arrangements that improve the quality of care for older people.

AoA expects to award up to 20 projects at up to $50,000 each under this program in Fiscal Year 2004. Eligible applicants include non-profit community-based aging services provider organizations that currently receive funding under the Older Americans Act, and Area Agencies on Aging.

Three types of projects will be funded:
1. Promising Practices – projects that identify and document existing models and approaches that can be replicated in other community organizations;
2. Program Enhancements – projects that build on existing partnerships or approaches already in place; and,
3. New Models or Approaches – projects that support the design and/or implementation of new models or approaches in care management.

The program advances AoA’s 5-Year Strategic Plan and builds on other initiatives the agency has launched over the past 3 years that support the Aging Services Network’s role in health and long term care.

Additional information about the new Integrated Care Management Grants Program, including a copy of the full program announcement with application instructions, can be found: Here

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging (AoA), works with a nationwide network of organizations and service providers to make support services and resources available to older persons and their caregivers. For more information about the AoA, please contact: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, Washington, D.C. 20201, Phone (202) 401-4541.

http://www.aoa.gov
Email: aoainfo@aoa.gov

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