Eric Coleman Testifies Before U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging.
In a new publication from Grantmakers in Health, the March 2008 Institute of Medicine report, Retooling for An Aging Society, is reviewed for a large audience of foundation executives. The report offers many examples of programs to prepare the health care work force for older patients, and provides opportunities for grant makers to align their programs with the demographic changes underway in the United States today.
The article is co-authored by Corinne Rieder, executive director and treasurer andChristopher Langston, program director, of the John A. Hartford Foundation. They point out that the health of older adults in this country is an increasingly critical concern, with ramifications for every sector of society and philanthropy. This group will define a new approach to the lifespan, and the sheer numbers of Americans living longer cause predicaments to government finances and other sectors. Their two-page article is available for download at www.gih.org.
On April 25, The Institute of Medicine released a comprehensive report, Retooling for an Aging  America: Building the Health Care Work Force. (To get a full copy and supporting materials, please click here.) The Hartford Foundation was a major sponsor, and numerous grantees either served on the IOM's committee or were instrumental in informing the work. In the first week alone, nearly 100 print and online media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, ABC News, USA Today, and US News and World Report featured the publication and its findings. Many of the recommendations of Retooling for an Aging America reflect strategies the Foundation and its grantees have pursued during the last 20 years. We look forward to using the report as a framework for collaborating with public policy leaders, health professional schools, professional societies, nonprofit organizations, and other private funders to respond vigorously to the publication's recommendations (More information please see e-newsletter).
Lile R. Gibbons was elected to the Board of Trustees of the John A. Hartford Foundation on March 14, 2008. Ms. Gibbons is a State Representative in the Connecticut House of Representatives, a position she has held since 2001; she currently is Ranking Member of the Human Services Committee and serves on the Energy and Finance Committees.
Ms. Gibbons serves on numerous civic boards in Connecticut and has been on the Board of Trustees of the Rasmuson Foundation of Alaska since 1997. In 2006, she received the first “Agewise Advocate Award” from the Connecticut Commission on Aging for her support of the state’s present and future generations of older residents. She also served on the Greenwich Board of Education from 1991 through 2000, the last three years as chair.
Ms. Gibbons graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics. She has been married to John A. Gibbons, Jr., for over 42 years; they have four adult children and five grandsons.
Since 1997, the Foundation has awarded over $38 million to create 24 Centers of Excellence. The new Centers of Excellence are located at:
Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital, Providence, RI
Richard W. Besdine, MD, principal investigator
$450,000 over three years
University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
Sanjay Asthana, MD, principal investigator
$450,000 over three years
Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC
Jeff D. Williamson, MD, principal investigator
$450,000 over three years
The Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training are a cornerstone of the Foundation's medicine programming, and were created to address the critical shortage of geriatric faculty members in the nation's medical schools. Operating since 1988, the program has produced hundreds of geriatrically knowledgeable scientists, teachers and clinicians. It has also helped create a higher level of recognition and appreciation of the discipline throughout the medical center, university and affiliated clinical service settings.
To learn more about this network and read about some of the outstanding junior faculty supported by these grants, please click here.
Evercare Scholars Program Includes Scholarships and Nurse Education Funding for Next Generation Leaders in Long-Term Geriatric Care
Minneapolis – October 29, 2007 – Evercare today announced it would donate $100,000 to the John A. Hartford Foundation Centers of Geriatric Nursing Excellence (CGNE) through its Evercare ScholarsTM Program for the second straight year, underscoring its commitment to the future leaders in geriatric nursing care.; The funding will provide scholarships to graduate nursing students at five schools in addition to grants for geriatric-focused educational programs at two new Centers at the University of Minnesota and Arizona State University.
The Evercare Scholars Program supports the educational development of future leaders in the field of long-term care nursing.; The goals of the program are to increase nurses’ ability to bring innovation and quality into health care, advance the nursing profession and expand the role of nurses in helping to shape policy to improve our health system. Combined with last year’s funding, Evercare has committed $200,000 to help to fund the education of nearly a dozen graduate nursing students.; Evercare is one of the nation’s largest health care coordination programs focused on people who are older, have long-term or advanced illness or have disabilities.
The need for geriatric nurses is projected to skyrocket as the number of Americans age 65 and older will double to 71 million by the year 2030, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. At the same time, by 2020, the nation is expected to face a shortage of 1 million nurses, according to Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), while fewer than 1% of practicing nurses today are certified in geriatrics, according to The John A. Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University.
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“During the last decade, the John A. Hartford Foundation has made significant investments to improve the quality of nursing education in order to better care for the growing number of older adults,” said Corinne Rieder, EdD, executive director of the Foundation.; “We are pleased to collaborate with Evercare to build the cadre of critically needed nursing leaders who can help support systemic changes in long-term care.”;
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“We are excited to team up with the Hartford Foundation again to help advance the nursing profession. The Evercare Scholars are poised to enter the field of geriatric nursing with the education necessary to help make a significant impact on our health care system,” says Patricia A. Kappas-Larson, MPH, APRN-BC, senior vice president, Public Affairs and Community Relations at Evercare. “By investing in the field’s educational resources, we hope to encourage a new generation of students to pursue a nursing degree with a geriatric focus.”
For the 2007-2008 academic year, Evercare will award, through the Hartford Foundation’s CGNEs, five, $12,000 scholarships to graduate nursing students whose course of study includes learning about ways to improve health care delivered in long-term-care settings. In addition to tuition assistance, the scholarship recipients are also regularly brought together during their scholarship year to share their experiences, knowledge and research. The five CGNEs— which were established in 2000 as part of the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI) — participating in the scholarship program are: ;;
- Oregon Health & Science University School of Nursing
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Nursing
- University of California San Francisco School of Nursing
- University of Iowa College of Nursing
- University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing
Evercare will also be donating $20,000 each to the Arizona State University College of Nursing & Healthcare Innovation and the University of Minnesota College of Nursing, to help establish CGNEs at each school. The centers will be committed to educating graduate students with a focus on geriatric care and also retaining and recruiting outstanding geriatric nursing faculty.
At the heart of Evercare’s health plans and services are Nurse Practitioners and Care Managers who coordinate or deliver personalized, compassionate care and help ensure effective integration of treatments. These trusted partners help guide members through the maze of health care services for enhanced health outcomes that give families peace of mind. ;Evercare employs nearly 800 Nurse Practitioners and 500 Care Managers in 38 states.;
About Evercare
Evercare, one of the nation’s largest care health coordination programs, helps improve health outcomes for people with long-term or advanced illness, who are older, or have disabilities.; Founded in 1987, Evercare today serves more than 150,000 people nationwide through Medicare. Medicaid and private-pay health plans, programs and services – from health plans for people in the community and skilled nursing settings, to caregiver support and hospice care.;
Evercare is part of Ovations, a division of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) dedicated to the health care needs of Americans over age 50.; For more information about Evercare, call 1-888-834-3721 (TTY 1-888-685-8480) or visit EvercareHealthPlans.com.
About the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative (HGNI) and John A. Hartford Foundation
Supported by more than $67 million in grants to date from the Foundation, the Hartford Geriatric Nursing Initiative is a unique, multi-faceted initiative focused on the enhancement of the care of older adults through innovations in nursing practice, education, research, leadership and policy.; In partnership with the nation’s nursing schools and a variety of health care organizations and systems, this dynamic, national initiative is confronting the challenges associated with an aging patient population by:
- Shaping nursing practice to best meet the health care needs of older adults;
- Enhancing professional education to ensure all nurses are prepared to treat older patients;
- Promoting research needed to guide the care and promote the health of older people;
- Developing leadership in academic and professional settings; and
- Demonstrating nursing’s commitment to enacting public policy that improves older Americans’ health care.
The John A Hartford Foundation was founded in 1929 and has been at the forefront of pioneering advances in medicine and health care and funding research and programs that have literally revolutionized medicine and shaped the delivery of health care. In the 1980s, the Foundation began to focus on aging and health and today is the country's largest private foundation focused solely on aging and health.
The story, from Marketplace at the American Public Radio Web site, is at
http://marketplace.publicradio.org/shows/2007/08/21/PM200708215.html. (A transcript of the story is available at the same link.)
Dr. Levine is leading the 2007 Hartford Foundation grant “Chief Resident Immersion Training in the Care of Older Adults” and is faculty on the Hartford Center of Excellence for Geriatrics Medicine and Training at Boston University/Boston Medical Center. Dr. Schreiber is affiliated with Harvard University's Hartford Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training and the Practice Change Fellows Program).
The Foundation’s Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training is featured at:
www.jhartfound.org/IDEAS/medfaculty
Information about PACE can be found at two sites:
www.jhartfound.org/IDEAS/PACE
http://www.npaonline.org
Information on the Practice Change Fellows program can be found at:
http://www.practicechangefellows.org/
April 2007
Appointment of Christopher A. Langston as Program Director
We are delighted to inform you that Christopher A. Langston, PhD, has accepted the position of Program Director at the Hartford Foundation.; As you may know, Chris was a senior program officer at Hartford for eight years.; In July 2005, he joined The Atlantic Philanthropies as a program executive concentrating on all aspects of geriatric health care.; During this time, the two organizations collaborated on numerous projects.; We will continue this relationship, working together in areas of mutual concern.
While he was at Hartford, Chris was an effective and respected leader among our grantees, as well as internally with our Board and staff.; We are enormously pleased that he is returning to the Foundation.
We will keep you informed of any changes in grantee monitoring responsibilities for your specific project.; Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns.
Thank you for your continued commitment to our mission of improving health care for our aging population.
While at Atlantic he worked on over $40 million in new grants.; Highlights included:;A;major award to the National Council on Aging to support a;partnership with the Administration on Aging to bring health promotion programs to older adults through community agencies;; an extension of the Paul Beeson faculty scholars program to support physician scientists on the island of Ireland; and a capacity building investment in NICHE (Nurses Improving the Care of Hospitalized Elders), a program of the John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing at NYU.
December 2006
Online Letter of Intent due February 23, 2007 (11:59 pm EST)
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October 2006
Call for Proposals:; Electronic Letter of Intent due December 4, 2006 (11:59 PM EST)
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April 2006
Front Page Wall Street Journal ArticleFeatures Foundation Innovation “Hospital at Home”
The Foundation-supported Hospital at Home project, led by principal investigator, Bruce Leff, MD, at Johns Hopkins University, recently received front page coverage in the national edition of The Wall Street Journal.; The story provides a comprehensive look at this innovative “get well at home program,” as the Journal called it, which provides professional, high quality acute care for older adults, and was created and tested with $5.9 million in grants from the Hartford Foundation.;
Hospital at Home;(also called Program at Home by collaborator Scott Mader, MD,;at the Portland Veterans Administration) ;features multiple daily nursing visits, 24/7 availability of doctors, and needed tests like EKGs, X-rays, IVs, or oxygen therapy provided by health care professionals at home.; A recent study published;by;Leff and;colleagues;in the Annals of Internal Medicine found Hospital at Home to be a viable, patient-centered, cost-effective alternative to traditional, hospital-based acute care.
For patients in the study, who suffered from four common age-related conditions—pneumonia, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cellulitis—the research suggests that Hospital at Home reduced complications, diminished caregiver stress, and lowered health care costs by nearly one-third.
To read the complete story, “House Calls: Portland Hospital Gives Acutely Ill a Homecare Option,” please see: http://webreprints.djreprints.com/1453800731360.html.
The Foundation has also prepared a four-page brief on implementing Hospital at Home, which is available at www.jhartfound.org/ideas/hospitalathome.
Readiness assessments, detailed program specifications, and suggestions for making the business case for Hospital at Home are available at www.hospitalathome.org.
April 2006
Hartford Social Work Faculty Scholar Selected for Fulbright Senior Scholar Award
University of Washington School of Social Work Professor Amy Ai, PhD, has been selected for a 2006-2007 Fulbright Senior Scholar award. This award is given "to scholars and professionals worldwide who are leaders in the educational, political, economic, social and cultural lives of their countries." The award to Dr. Ai will provide support for her to collaborate with two universities in Germany and conduct work in area of spirituality and health.
Dr. Ai received her PhD from the University of Michigan , Ann Arbor and was a Hartford Social Work Faculty Scholar from 2002-2004. Currently, Dr Ai is an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Social Work in Seattle . For information on the Hartford faculty scholars program, go to http://www.gswi.org/programs_services/faculty_scholars.html. For information on the Fulbright awards program, go to www.iie.org/fulbright.
A description of the Hartford Foundation's programs to develop faculty leaders in gerontological social work is available at www.jhartfound.org/IDEAS/swleaders.
April 2006
American Association of Colleges of Nursing Publishes Monograph on Geriatric Nursing Education Project, "Caring for an Aging America : A Guide for Nursing Faculty"
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) has published a monograph with resources and lessons learned for faculty in both baccalaureate and advanced practice nursing programs. The monograph represents a culmination of the Enhancing Geriatric Nursing Education at Baccalaureate and Advanced Practice Levels grant, a $3.99M grant awarded to the AACN by the John A. Hartford Foundation in 2001.
The guide offers strategies to strengthen gerontology in nursing curriculum through development of faculty expertise, integration of gerontology across the curriculum, enhancement of clinical partnerships and supporting student interest in caring for older adults. The March 2006 monograph is available on the AACN website at http://www.aacn.nche.edu/Education/Hartford/pdf/monograph.pdf .
A description of the Hartford Foundation's programs to support geriatric-inclusive nursing curriculum is available at www.jhartfound.org/IDEAS/nursecurriculum.
New Grants - March 2006
Advancing the Palliative Care Field: A Consortium Funded Initiative
Center to Advance Palliative Care, Mount Sinai School of Medicine,
New York , NY
Diane E. Meier, MD
$750,000, Three Years
Summary
As part of a coalition of funders, the John A. Hartford Foundation awarded $750,000 over three years to the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to further develop the field of palliative care. Palliative care teams specialize in the care of patients with multiple chronic illnesses to ameliorate symptoms so that they may live in greater comfort and independence. It is estimated that at least 70% of the patients receiving palliative care are over the age of 65.
With this grant, CAPC seeks to embed palliative care into healthcare delivery through technical support, educational materials and tools; development of leaders in the field; educational outreach; and engagement of regulatory and accrediting bodies.
Additional Information
The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) was established in 2000 with a five-year $9 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. CAPC's mission is to increase the number and quality of palliative care programs in hospitals and health systems in the United States . The Center also serves as an educational and communications hub to increase awareness of, and demand for, palliative care services. In its first five years of existence, CAPC contributed to a 75% increase in the number of palliative care programs in the nation, now available in 1,200 hospitals. Further information is available at www.capc.org.
Geriatric Training Program Development Grant
University of Utah
Salt Lake City , UT
Mark A. Supiano, MD
$100,000, Two Years
Summary
To support the development of an emerging geriatrics training program, the John A. Hartford Foundation awarded $100,000 to the University of Utah to support development of fellows and faculty in geriatric medicine. This grant will complement recent local commitments to geriatric medicine and will be used to help develop fellows' research skills and provide travel funds to national conferences to expose future faculty members to experts in aging medicine.
This grant was awarded to support Mark A. Supiano, MD, formerly a senior faculty member at the University of Michigan Hartford-funded Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training, in his new position as the director of the division of geriatric medicine at the University of Utah .
Additional Information
The Foundation's Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Training program was established in 1988 to develop a critical mass of physician-faculty trained to prepare physicians in the health care needs of older adults. There are currently 24 Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine located around the nation. In December, 2005, Foundation Trustees approved a supplement to the program to support the transition of senior faculty from CoEs who have assumed leadership of geriatric programs at other medical schools.
description of the Hartford Foundation's programs to recruit and develop medical school faculty to teach geriatrics is available at www.jhartfound.org/IDEAS/medfaculty.
November 2005
Amy Berman Appointed Program Officer
Amy Berman, currently the Nursing Education Initiatives Director for The John A. Hartford Foundation Institute for Geriatric Nursing at New York University , has accepted the position of Program Officer at the Foundation effective January 1, 2006.
Ms. Berman has worked on programs related to the care of older adults for nearly 20 years. Among her responsibilities at NYU, she coordinates the Hartford Institute Geriatric Nursing Research Scholars Program. She has also collaborated with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to develop programs to enhance faculty geriatric competence and gerontological content in curricula.
Ms. Berman previously worked in health care administration, focusing on performance improvement using data-driven change, team facilitation, accreditation, and regulatory compliance issues. She served as JCAHO coordinator and accreditation consultant in performance improvement for a variety of health care institutions. Ms. Berman has served on the New York State Department of Health's Emergency Preparedness Task Force and on the professional advisory boards of major health care institutions in New York City , including Home Assistance Personnel, Inc. and The Jewish Home and Hospital. She currently serves on the professional advisory board of Progressive Home Health Services, Inc.
Ms. Berman earned a bachelor of science degree in health administration from the University of Massachusetts , Amherst , and a geriatric scholar certificate from the Consortium of New York Geriatric Education Centers. She expects to receive her BSN from the NYU College of Nursing in December 2005. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau, Epsilon Chapter and was recently presented the Rudin Family Award, the highest academic honor given to a member of her graduating class, for academic achievement and leadership.
November 2005
Hartford Grantees' Expertise Sought for new Caregiving Web site
Johnson & Johnson is seeking assistance from Hartford grantees for their new Caregiver Web site, which is designed to be a comprehensive resource for family caregivers. The site will combine original content supplied by experts in the field, professional writers, and caregivers themselves with caregiving resources currently available on the Web. The virtual community will consists of extensive message boards where caregivers can communicate with other caregivers on any topic, while personal stories and blogs will allow others to get a glimpse into another caregiver's first-hand experience. The site aims to offer real-world tips and advice on financial and legal matters; insurance and long-term disability information; grooming, bathing, and daily caregiving activities; stress & health concerns for the caregiver; care recipient symptom and condition information; statistics of caregivers & recipients; information on eldercare among different cultures; links to helpful products and technology; and current news and advocacy information.
The Caregiver Partnership will also include original research, designed to show policy makers that family caregiving should be on the nation's agenda. Interested experts and organizations are welcome to submit ideas for content, specifically on topics such as:
- Prescriptions incompatibility and multiple prescriptions
- Safe lifting techniques & preventing back problems
- Administering shots & medications (general techniques, and what to monitor afterwards)
- Understanding when you need a professional and cannot care for someone on your own
- Speech & communication pathology and information on specific communication techniques with people with dementia
Please send ideas or send questions to Julie Brown, who is serving as Editor in Chief & Creative Director for the site on behalf of J&J. She can be reached at julie.elaine@gmail.com
November 2005
Southeast Center of Excellence Recruitment Drive Draws 52
On September 16 th and 17 th , the Southeast Center of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine held a Resident Award Summit at Stone Mountain in Georgia . Program Directors throughout the Southeastern United States were asked to nominate their top first and second year residents, with interests in geriatrics, for this award. Despite the ravages of hurricane Katrina 52 residents attended.
The program commenced on Friday evening with a welcome reception and dinner. Dr. Ouslander (Emory Co-Director) briefed the gathering on "Geriatrics: A Field of Opportunity," and the awardees met faculty, staff and current trainees from the Center.
Saturday's program was held at Park Springs Continuing Care Retirement Community and included: presentations by several past SCEGM trainees and faculty. Saturday's program started with a game of "Geropardy." After a tour of the Park Springs facilities, the attendees were briefed on different career paths followed by current and previous center faculty and trainees. Finally, information about the UAB and Emory fellowship programs was presented during lunch before the resident awardees departed.
The goal of the Foundation's Center of Excellence program is to recruit and prepare faculty members to geriatric medicine in order to address the growing shortage of geriatricians in the US . Since 1998, over $25 million has been allocated for advanced fellowship training and faculty development in geriatrics to 29 institutions. The Southeast Center of Excellence is a joint program of Emory University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
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