The Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) has announced the award of eight ‘Thriving in Place’ (TiP) grants across the state, with Healthy Peninsula one of two grantees in Hancock County. The grants aim to promote better patient-centered care that will help people with chronic conditions to be healthier and safer in their homes.
“The successful project proposals were ones that will use a variety of tested and creative strategies to tackle the expensive over-reliance on hospitals and assisted living facilities to care for older and disabled people with chronic health conditions,” said Dr. Becky Hayes Boober, the MeHAF Senior Program Officer who is overseeing the TiP program.
Healthy Peninsula’s proposal, ‘Thriving Downeast’, is centered around a partnership of ten local and regional organizations that already provide a broad cross-section of health and social services: Blue Hill Memorial Hospital (BHMH), Eastern Maine Health Systems (EMHS), Hancock County HomeCare and Hospice, Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County, Coastal Care Team, Atlantic Mental Health Center, Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Penobscot Bay Press, Washington Hancock Community Agency (WHCA) and its programs At Home Down East and Friendship Cottage.
Healthy Peninsula’s role within Thriving Downeast will be to assess the needs of individuals living on the Blue Hill peninsula, Deer Isle and Stonington and help to ‘knit together’ available medical, behavioral, social, and community services to strengthen support and care for those at highest risk. Critical to the success of this project is to hear from the people who will benefit most: their voices are often not heard in discussions about the challenges they face and the services they need.
“As the state with the oldest population and one of the highest rates of disability in the nation, there’s a pressing need to plan now for strategies that can help people, particularly those who are older, stay healthy and receive needed care and support at home,” said Dr. Wendy Wolf, President and CEO of MeHAF. “It’s no surprise that older and disabled Mainers overwhelmingly say that they want to remain in their homes and communities; yet our current resources are not up to the task of meeting their expectations,” explained Dr. Wolf. “Through the Thriving in Place initiative, organizations will work together with local residents to determine how we can keep people out of the hospital or nursing home so they can stay in their community.”
The current MeHAF award is a one-year planning grant with the possibility of a second award to implement the partnership work plan over three years. The TiP grant is a kickstart to Healthy Peninsula’s new Healthy Aging Initiative and an exciting opportunity to partner with dedicated and experienced organizations across the region. Healthy Peninsula is a program of Child and Family Opportunities, Inc., and partners with BHMH and EMHS to promote health in western Hancock County.
For additional information, please contact Healthy Peninsula at 374-3257 or info@healthypeninsula.org.