TiPD Year 1: Just the Beginning
TiPD was a 4-year project (1 year of planning and 3 years of implementation) funded by the Maine Health Access Foundation. Although the grant ended in 2017, its framework of collaboration and community-based planning to support communities where people can remain healthy and engaged as they age has been the foundation of our healthy aging work since that time.
In awarding the grant that is funding the TiPD program, Dr. Wendy Wolfe, President and CEO of MeHAF noted:
“Because Maine has the oldest population and one of the highest rates of disability in the nation, it is critical that Maine communities find efficient ways to support people, particularly those who are older, so they stay healthy and receive needed care and support at home. Mainers overwhelmingly say that they want to remain living independently in their homes and communities. Through the Thriving in Place initiative, community organizations work together with residents to help people successfully manage chronic conditions so they can stay at home and out of the hospital or nursing home.”
With a 2013-14 planning grant from MeHAF, Healthy Peninsula and its Thriving in Place Downeast partners used information gathered to formulate a three-year work plan, which focuses on strengthening and publicizing local community resources so more people can access them. Healthy Peninsula’s role within the partnership is to coordinate activities and continue the work of "listening," while other partners concentrate on expanding the work they have already been doing with improved networking and collaboration."
Most of the funding in the $300,000 three-year implementation phase goes to support programs that are developed and implemented by the partnership. As a first step, Healthy Peninsula was fortunate to hire Anne Schroth as the program coordinator, charged with working with key partners and local providers to support elders and people with chronic physical or mental health conditions to remain at home as long as they are able. Along with Healthy Peninsula, the local and regional partners include: Washington Hancock Community Agency, At Home Downeast, Atlantic Mental Health Center, Blue Hill Memorial Hospital, Coastal Care Team, Eastern Area Agency on Aging, Eastern Maine Health Systems, Friendship Cottage, Hancock County Home Care and Hospice, Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County, and the Penobscot Bay Press.
Click here to read a Year 1 Summary.
Click here for information about Year 1 partners.