Home Care Association of New York Receives Grant to Address Health Disparities

ALBANY, N.Y. (February 10, 2022)—The Home Care Association of New York State (HCA) has been awarded funding from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation to identify and address health disparities in populations receiving health care in homes and communities statewide.

Mother Cabrini Health Foundation’s mission is to “improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers, bolster the health outcomes of vulnerable communities, eliminate barriers to care, and bridge gaps in health services.” Fortunately, in pursuit of that mission, the foundation recognized that providers of care and services in the homes and communities of individuals across the state are uniquely positioned to recognize and intervene with skills, expertise and tools to reduce health disparities.

The project includes a spectrum of components, including an initial assessment of areas of disparity across communities of New York State with resulting recommendations for intervention. The development of this assessment and ensuing recommendations will leverage relevant state and industry data sources, as well as engage state agencies and care continuum partners.

The grant will also fund the education and training of homecare staff to support the development and strengthening of cultural competencies, the enhancement of their ability to treat and care for patients with co-occurring physical and mental health conditions, and even the certification of clinicians at a sample set of agencies in population health coordination. Additionally, HCA will partner to create and pilot translation services for English language-challenged and non-English speaking individuals receiving home care services. HCA looks forward to sharing further information on the project and its outcomes over the course of the grant period.

“HCA is grateful to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation for partnering HCA and the homecare community to address health disparities in the system—a close and common mission between us. As a community, neighborhood and in-home based service, homecare is among the most uniquely positioned in the daily lives and health of individuals to engage in identifying and addressing health disparities. Homecare staff—nurses, therapists, social workers, nutritionists, home health aides – and volunteers have the clinical, service and community navigation expertise to be highly effective providers and change-agents.”

Visit hca-nys.org for more information.