Health Foundation Awards Grants for Senior Programs

By WY Daily Staff Wednesday, June 22, 2011

The Williamsburg Community Health Foundation announced more grant awards, this time in the amount of $388,000.

The grants will go to several programs serving low-income seniors in the area to help address the needs of the growing senior population. “In the last 10 years, Williamsburg’s senior population has grown at more than twice the rate of the country as a whole,” she said. “These grants help area non-profits address the health challenges posed by an aging population.”

The Center for Excellence in Aging & Geriatric Health has been awarded $130,000 for a program training physicians to screen local seniors who may be at risk for substance misuse or abuse. The program provides physicians with assessment and referral tools, and administrators expect to screen more than 500 seniors in the coming year.

The Peninsula Agency on Aging has been awarded a $65,000 grant to develop its Peninsula Aging and Disability Resource Network website. The site, PADRN.org, offers a list of more than 200 pre-screened services and resources available to area seniors.

The Peninsula Agency on Aging is also receiving an $118,000 grant for its Senior Health Assistance Resource Project. The program provides in-home visits that enable frail, low-income seniors to live independently. It served 56 area residents in the Greater Williamsburg area during 2010.

The Senior Services Coalition, a collaborative effort involving dozens of organizations and individuals interested in issues concerning seniors, has been awarded a $75,000 grant to help implement the Community Action Plan on Aging. The 10-year plan outlines steps for making Greater Williamsburg more livable for seniors.

Since 1996, the Foundation has awarded more than $46 million in grants to support health-related nonprofits in the community.