HHS hands out $27.8M for fall prevention programs

HHS and the Administration for Community Living are awarding nine organizations a total of $27.8 million for three falls prevention initiatives.

The funds will expand proven programs, and help state and local partners reach more older adults before a fall injury, according to an Oct. 8 HHS news release. Falls are the leading cause of injury for older adults with 1 in 4 older adult falls every year. Many falls result in an injury or hospital stay, and non-fatal falls are estimated to cost $80 billion in healthcare spending per year. 

Many falls are preventable through person-centered, evidence-based interventions, but there are gaps in adoption and implementation, the release said. HHS is coordinating a cross-agency effort informed by the National Falls Prevention Action Plan to unite agencies and reduce falls over the next three years. The awards will expand two approaches: the CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths and Injuries (STEADI) initiative, which helps healthcare providers screen for, assess and address fall risk, and Stepping On, a community falls prevention program that helps older adults improve strength and balance, and address risks. 

Here are the falls prevention programs along with the organizations and the money they received. Funds will be distributed over three years. 

A Demonstration to Scale Innovative Person-Centered Approaches to Falls Prevention through Clinical-Community Partnerships

• National Council on Aging in Arlington, Va. will receive $4.78 million to scale STEADI and Stepping On through clinical-community partnerships in five geographies. 

Scaling Evidence-Based Falls Prevention Programs 

The following organizations will also expand STEADI and Stepping On programs, as well as strengthen referral networks, prepare more local organizations to deliver the programs and share lessons with other states and communities.

• Health Research (Menands, N.Y.): $1.94 million
• Maryland Department of Health (Baltimore): $1.94 million
• Iowa Community HUB (West Des Moines, Iowa): $1.93 million
• AgeOptions (Oak Park, Ill.): $1.94 million
• Texas A&M University (College Station, Texas): $1.93 million
• Partners In Care Foundation (San Fernando, Calif.): $1.83 million
• Central Maine Area Agency on Aging (Augusta, Maine): $1.93 million
• The Oasis Institute (St. Ann, Mo.): $1.94 million

National Falls Prevention Resource Center

• The National Council on Aging in Arlington, Va. will receive $7.5 million. In this program the National Falls Prevention Resource Center will provide ACL’s aging and disability networks with training, tools and assistance to deliver high-quality falls prevention programs, and help organizations learn from each other.

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