Direction Home Akron Canton Awarded Funding to Develop, Expand and Enhance Ability to Operate as Community Care Hubs
(Uniontown, OH)— Direction Home Akron Canton Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities was selected as one of 20 grantees for USAging’s Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care (COE). With the funding received through the COE, we will be able to bolster our systems technology infrastructure and strengthen our contracts with healthcare organizations to provide the best coordinated care and access to social care programs and services. The COE is supported by the U.S. Administration for Community Living (ACL) and will support community care hubs in their work to assess and address individuals’ health-related social needs and promote whole-person care.
The intent of these awards is to provide infrastructure funding to the selected community care hubs (CCHs) like Direction Home. It supports their contracting efforts with health care organizations for coordinated access to and delivery of social care programs and services such as hospital-to-home transition programs). These efforts will also support Ohio's No Wrong Door system known statewide as the Aging & Disability Resource Centers.
“Achieving recognition through this grant affirms Direction Home’s commitment to increase quality services and coordination of care in our community,” said Direction Home President & CEO, Abby Morgan. “It's also a fantastic win for our statewide work with all of Ohio's Area Agencies on Aging. We are grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to the work ahead.”
"USAging is thrilled to award grants to these 20 outstanding Community Care Hubs," said USAging CEO Sandy Markwood. "CCHs provide critical administrative and operational supports for networks of Area Agencies on Aging, Centers for Independent Living and other community-based organizations providing services addressing the health-related social needs of individuals with complex care needs and their caregivers. This funding will bolster the vital work CCHs do in their communities every day to align health and social care to meet people’s needs." Markwood continued.
“Health care providers and plans are increasingly prioritizing screening for health-related social needs such as food insecurity, housing instability, unaffordable utilities and lack of transportation, and the aging and disability networks are critical partners in connecting people to the services and programs needed to address them,” said Alison Barkoff, who leads ACL. “It has been truly amazing to see the speed at which this work has advanced, thanks in large part to our network’s creation of community care hubs, which are establishing partnerships and contracts between community-based organizations and health care organizations across the nation. ACL looks forward to ongoing collaboration with the Center of Excellence to continue growing community care hubs across the entire country.”
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About USAging
USAging is the national association representing and supporting the network of Area Agencies on Aging and advocating for the Title VI Native American Aging Programs. Our members help older adults and people with disabilities throughout the United States live with optimal health, well-being, independence and dignity in their homes and communities. For more information, visit usaging.org and follow @theUSAging on Facebook, X and Instagram.
About the Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care
The Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care (COE), part of the Aging and Disability Business Institute at USAging, is supported by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through a cooperative agreement totaling approximately $12 million over a three-year period with 100 percent funding by ACL/HHS.