JAHF E-News | June 11, 2020

Eight Grants Will Address COVID-19 in Nursing Homes, Spread Age-Friendly Care, and Support Family Caregivers

The John A. Hartford Foundation (JAHF) authorized grants totaling $4.5 million this quarter. 
 
Two urgent response grants were approved earlier this spring to protect nursing home residents and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond: 

• JAHF and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) created the Rapid Response Network for Nursing Homes and are hosting daily huddles for nursing home staff and other stakeholders to discuss pragmatic solutions that can be immediately implemented to solve key issues caused or exacerbated by COVID-19.  

• The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will conduct a study to examine how the nation regulates, finances, and measures the quality and safety of nursing homes, with special emphasis on challenges raised by the COVID-19 pandemic and other emergencies.  

Additionally, JAHF announced six grants approved in June to spread age-friendly care, support family caregivers, and access serious illness care: 

• The University of California, San Francisco will assess implementation of the Age-Friendly Health Systems’ 4Ms framework across four health systems, share lessons learned, identify potential barriers to dissemination, and provide evidence of the benefits of age-friendly care.  

• The National Academy for State Health Policy will work with state leaders to improve serious illness care access and quality by providing legislative, contractual, and regulatory guidance to support the spread of palliative care.  

• JAHF’s partnership with Health Affairs will continue to advance research-informed best practices and showcase health and aging policies central to the nation’s health care dialogue through a series of peer-reviewed papers, blog posts, and podcasts.  

• The Center for Health Care Strategies will continue to scale, spread, and encourage state action that strengthens cross-agency collaborations and programs to support family caregivers in six states.  

• Twin Cities Public Television will coordinate community-based activities to support the release of a JAHF-funded documentary that encourages younger and older adults to think about and prepare for aging.  

• NASEM will facilitate the Healthy Longevity Global Competition, an international initiative to accelerate breakthroughs to promote healthy aging. 

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