Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas Receives 3–Year Grant from Florida Blue Foundation to Expand Medical-Social Partnerships for Under-Resourced Seniors

​The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco Pinellas has been selected as one of 11 Innovation in the Health Care System grant recipients statewide for funding from the Florida Blue Foundation. The three-year, $300,000 grant will fund the AAAPP Senior Community Health Program, which strengthens linkages between medical and social service providers to improve access and health outcomes for under-resourced seniors.

“Area Agencies on Aging have been on the front lines of addressing the social determinants of health of low-income and under-resourced seniors for more than 40 years,” said Ann Marie Winter, Executive Director of AAAPP. “Historically, these services have not been systematically or strategically connected to the healthcare system, also serving these same seniors. By joining forces, we are addressing head on the circumstances and situations that cause the older adults in our community to decline physically and mentally and turn to the emergency room for assistance. Keeping them healthy and safe not only enhances their quality of life, but keeps our community from undue costs related to their healthcare.”

The program currently operates out of the Baycare Turley Family Health Center in Clearwater and the WellMed Clinic in St. Petersburg. Funding from the Florida Blue Foundation will equip AAAPP to serve more seniors in the current sites and expand into Pasco County, with a newly developed partnership with the Medical Center of Trinity, an HCA Hospital.

 

You can find the full press release here.

About the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco Pinellas

The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco Pinellas is a non-profit organization that has been serving seniors and individuals with disabilities in our community since 1974. We serve as the Aging and Disability Resource Center for the entire two county area, providing an initial entry point for all aging and disability social services and coordinating a network of partners and providers to better meet the needs of our aging population. Our mission is to be a trusted resource to advocate, educate and empower seniors, adults with disabilities and caregivers which promotes independence, in partnership with the community. Find out more at www.AgingCareFL.org.

About Florida Blue Foundation

Florida Blue Foundation enables healthy communities by making grants, building coalitions and rewarding best practices. More than three million people in Florida have received direct health services as a result of grants made to nonprofit organizations since its founding in 2001. Florida Blue Foundation is a trade name of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation, Inc., an Independent Licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information about the Foundation, please visit www.floridabluefoundation.com.