bi3, Bethesda Inc.’s grantmaking initiative, has awarded $50,000 to Council on Aging of Southwestern Ohio (COA) to help support the implementation of virtual case management and assessment visits.
Council on Aging provides home and community-based services, including transportation, meals, homemaking and personal care assistance, to help older adults remain safe and independent in their homes.
COA’s strength in providing this assistance is based on an assessment and case management process which traditionally takes place in clients’ homes. This approach gives staff a complete picture of a client’s needs, including: understanding the client’s physical limitations; seeing the condition of the home to identify potential risks; connecting with caregivers living in the home; and seeing the client performing activities of daily living.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, to protect the health of clients and staff, COA substituted phone calls for in-person visits and began searching for technology-based solutions that would provide an alternative, but similar, experience to home-based assessments and other scheduled client visits.
“Our care model is successful because of the window it provides into our clients’ lives,” said Council on Aging CEO Suzanne Burke. “The pandemic provided an opportunity for us to look differently at this process and the bi3 grant will support our efforts to expand the ways in which we can interact with our clients and effectively manage their care needs.”
bi3 sought proposals addressing health or social needs that impact health outcomes, particularly for people experiencing health disparities. The $50,000 grant award will help build Council on Aging’s care management capacity, strengthen operations and better position the organization to meet future needs.
“bi3 is dedicated to addressing health disparities,” said Jill Miller, President of Bethesda Inc. “During this unprecedented time, we feel it is essential to help community organizations like Council on Aging with resources they need to ensure all citizens have access to services.”
This grant is part of a larger bi3 effort to invest in local nonprofits as they continue to adapt to provide services virtually amid the pandemic. Since 2010, bi3 has awarded nearly $50 million in grants to TriHealth and community-based organizations to fund innovative ideas to transform health and healthcare.
For a complete list of grant awards, visit bi3.org.