LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--SCAN Health Plan announced today the infusion of $4 million into its community service division, Independence at Home. The new funds will allow Independence at Home to expand its role in providing health education, care coordination and supportive services to local seniors, disabled adults and their caregivers.
Independence at Home (IAH) has been successfully serving the greater Long Beach community for more than 35 years. Last year IAH reached more than 18,000 individuals through an assortment of programs designed to keep seniors and their caregivers healthy and independent. This marks a more than five-fold increase over 2013, where IAH reached 2,500 individuals. The expanded financial commitment from SCAN will allow for not only the further development and reach of these programs in Long Beach but for additional expansion into other markets including Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego and Ventura counties where Independence at Home established its footprint last year.
“Independence at Home is one of the few remaining resources of its kind dedicated to improving access to healthcare resources for our communities’ most vulnerable members,” said Denise Likar, vice president of Independence at Home. “We will continue to design and offer programs that connect seniors and their caregivers to the healthcare services they need most and, in doing so, work to make a meaningful difference in each community we serve.”
One of IAH’s keystone programs, Volunteer Action for Aging (VAA), held nearly 300 volunteer events across Southern California last year alone, ranging from beauty style days to pamper local seniors with complimentary haircuts and manicures, to letter writing to servicemen, instructional cell phone and Internet classes, guided autobiography classes, film screenings and more. VAA also developed the “Friendly Visitor program,” which matches local volunteers with seniors in their community seeking a listening ear and compassionate heart. And, continuing a tradition that began 23 years ago, in 2014 VAA delivered more than 2,200 Thanksgiving Day meals to seniors living in Long Beach, Ventura and Orange County.
In addition, IAH recently expanded its health education course curriculum to include more than 50 topics that matter most to seniors and disabled adults. Topics included diabetes, heart health, stress management, caregiving, nutrition and medication management. These free health lectures and their accompanying screenings connect underserved people with the information and tools they need to improve their health and quality of life.
The work of IAH also includes community giving with nearly $300,000 in grants distributed to 29 agencies last year. With those much-needed dollars, these agencies were able to provide 45,000 meals and helped numerous seniors with rent, utilities, transportation and more. IAH also provided nearly $100,000 in sponsorships to 90 organizations throughout the state to assist in the good they are doing and the people they are serving in their local communities.
Among the many other programs IAH provides are: a Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP) offering long-term in-home care management services for adults 65 and older who qualify for Medi-Cal; a Supportive Services Program, which provides care management, planning and daily-living assistance services for functionally impaired older adults; a Family Caregiver Support Program complete with information, training, counseling, care management, respite and community resource referrals for family caregivers; and a California Community Transition Project, which assists with the safe transition from healthcare facilities back to community living.
More information on IAH can be found at 866-421-1964 or by visiting www.independenceathome.org or facebook.com/independenceathome. The program is a community service of SCAN Health Plan, one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans currently serving more than 165,000 members in California and Arizona. For more information on SCAN visit scanhealthplan.com or facebook.com/scanhealthplan.
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