For Immediate Release
July 21, 2021
Contact: Joellen Leavelle, jleavelle@n4a.org and 202.719.889
WASHINGTON—Today, the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging’s (n4a) Aging and Disability Business Institute presented Hebrew SeniorLife, Inc. (HSL) with The John A. Hartford Foundation 2021 Business Innovation Award for its work serving older adults and people with disabilities through an innovative program that integrates health care and housing. The award was presented at n4a’s 46th Annual Conference and Tradeshow.
HSL’s innovative Right Care, Right Place, Right Time: Effectively Integrating Senior Care and Housing (R3) program integrates housing and health care by embedding a nurse and a social worker in senior housing. The program helps meet the holistic needs of older adults by conducting routine assessments, providing care coordination and measuring outcomes. In partnership with the Commonwealth Care Alliance, a local managed care health plan, HSL has served more than 1,100 low-income older adults across seven sites. The program has helped close the gap on key risk factors, reduce hospital visits and increase client engagement in maintaining their health. The partnership between HSL and Commonwealth Care Alliance serves as a model for care that could shape the way housing and health care are paid for locally and nationally.
“It is an honor to receive this incredible award from The John A. Hartford Foundation and n4a’s Aging and Disability Business Institute,” said Kim Brooks, HSL Chief Operating Officer, Senior Living. “We are committed to the important work of integrating senior housing and care. Our efforts in partnership with the Commonwealth Care Alliance and others have propelled the development of a sustainable, evidence-based model that proves the value of supportive senior housing and enables older adults to live their best lives.”
“With its R3 program, HSL has successfully integrated health care services and housing to meet the holistic needs of older adults living in senior housing,” said n4a CEO Sandy Markwood. “By embedding health care personnel and social workers into senior housing, HSL has created a program that improves well-being, reduces health care costs and can serve as a model for other community-based organizations seeking to integrate housing and health care. Partnerships like these can serve as models for community-based organizations seeking to improve health outcomes among the older adults they serve.”
Runners up for The John A. Hartford Foundation 2021 Business Innovation Award are DayBreak Adult Care Centers in Oakland, CA, which was recognized for its Rapid Response Case Management program, and Area Agency on Aging and Disabilities of Southwest Washington in Vancouver, WA, which was recognized for its Community Paramedicine program.
“We applaud the nominee organizations, all of whom are indispensable to their communities and have shown great ingenuity, not to mention resilience and resourcefulness as highlighted during the pandemic,” said Terry Fulmer, PhD, RN, FAAN, President of The John A. Hartford Foundation. “With this award, The John A. Hartford Foundation hopes to inspire all community-based organizations to create age-friendly partnerships with hospitals, health plans and with one another through regional networks. These relationships are the centerpiece of an age-friendly ecosystem. We are honored to be recognizing the 2021 award-winners that exemplify this collaborative spirit.”
About The John A. Hartford Foundation Business Innovation Award Selection Process
Each year, candidates are nominated through an open application process. A review committee consisting of health care representatives, foundation staff, n4a staff and community-based organizations evaluates the applications based on criteria, which include how well the nominee demonstrates a successful partnership with a health care entity; the impact of the partnership on older adults and people with disabilities; and the degree to which the nominee demonstrates risk in pursuing new approaches to doing business and aligning leadership and staff in new directions.
About The John A. Hartford Foundation
The John A. Hartford Foundation, based in New York City, is a private, nonpartisan, national philanthropy dedicated to improving the care of older adults. The leader in the field of aging and health, the Foundation has three priority areas: creating age-friendly health systems, supporting family caregivers and improving serious illness and end-of-life care. For more information, visit johnahartford.org and follow @johnahartford.
About n4a
The National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) is a 501(c)(3) membership association representing America’s national network of 622 Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and providing a voice in the nation’s capital for the more than 260 Title VI Native American aging programs. n4a’s primary mission is to build the capacity of our members so they can help older adults and people with disabilities live with dignity and choices in their homes and communities for as long as possible. For more information, visit n4a.org and follow @n4aACTION.
About the Aging and Disability Business Institute
The mission of n4a’s Aging and Disability Business Institute is to build and strengthen partnerships between aging and disability community-based organizations and the health care system. The Business Institute receives funding from The John A. Hartford Foundation, The SCAN Foundation and the Administration for Community Living and is led by n4a.
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