Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has announced $27 million in grants to help older Americans better manage their chronic health conditions.
Announced Tuesday, the grants are funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will support a program called Communities Putting Prevention to Work Chronic Disease Self-Management Program.
The grants will go to 45 states, Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia to provide self-management programs to older adults with chronic diseases, build statewide delivery systems and develop the workforce that delivers these programs, according to Sebelius.
The funding will help state, local and Medicaid agencies serve at least 50,000 older adults while gathering evidence regarding the impact of the programs.
"Prevention activities can strengthen the nation's healthcare infrastructure and reduce healthcare costs," Sebelius said. "These new grants will provide an important opportunity for states, tribes, territories and communities to advance public health across the lifespan and to help reduce or eliminate health disparities."
According to HHS officials, chronic disease can negatively affect quality of life and threaten the ability of older adults to remain independent in their own homes and communities. The more chronic diseases an individual has, the more likely that individual will become hospitalized. Two-thirds of Medicare spending is for beneficiaries with five or more chronic conditions.
"The number of older adults with chronic conditions will increase dramatically in the coming years as our aging population grows," said Assistant Secretary for Aging Kathy Greenlee, whose agency, the Administration on Aging, will administer the grants.
"This opportunity will allow states to build the foundation for an infrastructure that embeds health prevention programs into the nation's health and long-term care system and expands a system of care that addresses the growing prevalence of chronic conditions," Greenlee said.
The new grant program will be based on a model at Stanford University, which emphasizes the patients' role and self-confidence in managing their illnesses.