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In recent years foundation and corporate donors have been advocating collaboration, not only among non-profit organizations, but also among their peers. This trend allows them to make gifts that can leverage dollars from other donors with similar funding interests, as well the greatest return on investment.

Senior Independence in the Mahoning Valley is a recent beneficiary of this type of collaboration. The Youngstown Foundation, AT&T Foundation (formerly SBC Excelerator), Community Foundation of the Mahoning Valley, and Walter E. & Caroline H. Watson Foundation pooled their resources to provide $56,000 in grant funding for the Telehealth program in the Mahoning Valley. Telehealth is a tool that links health care providers and patients through technology. This telehealth program will feature both video and non-video applications.

Video Telehealth complements traditional in-home health care visits by allowing nurses to observe patients in real time with a specialized computer system. These video units will be placed in patient homes. Video Telehealth is especially helpful in cases of chronic illness such as congestive heart failure and diabetes.

Non-video telehealth allows in relatively good health to participate in routine monitoring in a preventive capacity. Non-video stations require patients to complete monitoring on their own. These monitoring stations may be shared by multiple patients through the use of swipe cards, programmed specifically for each person's individual needs. The non-video units will be placed in senior centers and HUD-subsidized senior apartment communities throughout the Mahoning Valley.

Benefits of both applications include:

• More frequent monitoring
• Shorter visits and no travel time
• Cost savings to patients and providers
• Increase in nursing productivity
• Enhanced quality of care

Senior Independence serving Central Ohio was recently awarded over $70,000 in grant funding to implement a Nurse Practitioner program for low-income seniors. The Columbus Foundation, The Harry C. Moores Foundation, and National City committed fuding for the first year of this innovative program. A Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP) is a registered nurse with an advanced degree, nurse practioner credentialing, and prescriptive authority. A CNP is considered a primary care provider, allowing clients to enter the health care system through one initial encounter, as they would with a physician. The Senior Independence Nurse Practitioner program will be initially piloted in three HUD-subsidized apartment communities for seniors in the Greater Columbus area. Senior Independence plans to incorporate the use of Telehealth, which has already been proven effective in managing a senior client base. These two programs may be used interchangeably or independently; the goal is to ensure that clients receive the most effective plan of care wherever they live by providing the most appropriate support and service whenever they need them.

The collaborative efforts of the CNP and Telehealth Nurse will allow these residents to continue to receive their physician's expertise, as well as fully integrated care. Referral of service may range from social work to support groups; whatever the need, Senior Independence can offer this coordination of care through a single contact.

The integration of these programs will alleviate accessibility and availability issues currently plaguing seniors throughout the country. Assessments are provided in the home - either face-to-face or virtually - eliminating the need for residents to make physician ofice visits. Care can be provided the same day service is requested.

Several recent studies have shown that alder adults who participate in telehealth or receive care from a CNP experience fewer hospital and emergency room visits than older adutls who are not enrolled in these programs. They also score highter on patient staifaction, resolution of chronic disease problems, patient compliance with taking medications, and following recommended behavioral changes than physician or home health care alone.

Imagine the potential of both programs used together!

The Mahoning County Commissioners continue to support our Senior Center with a check for $3,535. We greatly appreciate the financial assistance because it allows us to provide services through our main Senior Center here in Youngstown, our Senior Center in Sebring and our satellite programs in Boardman, New Middletown and Lake Milton. Last year we were able to provide servces to 16,000 seniors in Mahoning County. Thanks again for your support! Commissioner Dave Ludt presented the check to Sue Gans and Karen Ambrose with Senior Independence, Commissioner Traficanti, Commissioner McNally, Steven Kristin (AT&T), Chuck Witman and Dick Robart.