SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

This supplemental funding will increase LECOM's capacity to expand the reach and impact of its approved Behavioral Health Resources for Integrated Development, Growth, Engagement, and Support (BRIDGES) for Older Adults project. The goals for expanded funding align with the overall goals of the grant to expand outreach and professional training nationally to increase the participation of older adults with behavioral health conditions in community-based EBPs, to help the aging and disability network develop new practical skills, and to improve coordination among local aging and behavioral health service providers.

LECOM should expand BRIDGES training and technical assistance (TA) to all ACL Chronic Disease Self-Management Education (CDSME) grantees, including those specifically focused on preventing and managing chronic disease in older adults with behavioral health conditions and stressors. They should build a tiered TA model for CDSME and other ACL grantees, scaled to organizational readiness level. This model should include individual consultation, implementation coaching, office hours, cohort models, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities. LECOM should facilitate the federal agencies contributing to the 10th anniversary of the virtual Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day and convene grantees and the network for behavioral health continuing education and training opportunities to include speakers, partner organizations, and subject matter experts. LECOM should broaden the existing BRIDGES curriculum to specifically include CDSME grantees, and develop a CDSME grantee partnership track to onboard CDSME grantees with targeted implementation resources and communities of practice. LECOM should develop an evidence-informed Dissemination and Engagement Playbook to use across BRIDGES, CDSME, and the broader grantee portfolio, and other ACL-supported initiatives.

Program Name: Expanding Outreach and Professional Training to Engage Older Adults with Behavioral Health Conditions in Evidence-Based Health Promotion Programs.

Recipient: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM).

Period of Performance: The award will be issued in Year 3 of the project period of September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2027.

Total Award Amount: $4,345,417 ($3,260,699 fully funded in FY 2024 + $1,084,718 in FY 2026).

Award Type: Cooperative Agreement Supplement.

Basis for Award: LECOM is currently funded to carry out the Behavioral Health Resources for Integrated Development, Growth, Engagement, and Support (BRIDGES) for Older Adults project for the period of September 1, 2024 through August 31, 2027. LECOM has made substantial progress to date: the project conducted an environmental scan, needs (re)assessments, and stigma surveys; launched a national destigmatization campaign with an accompanying education multimedia toolkit; stood up a technical assistance center and online resource hub focused on the intersection of older adult programming and behavioral health needs; and distributed toolkits to organizations across the aging and disability network. LECOM has also delivered training and outreach through webinars and virtual conferences, including Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day, and in-person presentations at two national conferences. In addition, the project developed a free, accessible online behavioral health literacy curriculum comprising 13 modules, designed to help CDSME facilitators, caregivers, and older adults recognize, respond to, and refer behavioral health concerns as they emerge.

It would be unnecessarily time consuming and disruptive to the BRIDGES project and the beneficiaries being served for the ACL to establish a new grantee at this time when critical services are presently being provided in an efficient manner.

LECOM is ideally and uniquely positioned to make the best use of the increased funding quickly and efficiently to effectively deliver what is needed to meet the needs of CDSME grantees and the broader aging and disability network. LECOM has established itself nationally as a recognized leader and expert in ( printed page 58130) delivering behavioral health resources and TA to support those implementing CDSME programs in the aging and disability network. LECOM has already established relationships with CDSME grantees with a behavioral health focus, which will allow them to seamlessly expand the TA and training they can offer to ensure CDSME grantees' success in meeting their goals and deliverables.

Additionally, the grantee has worked diligently to develop relationships with stakeholders through outreach and conference presentations, and to ensure that an inclusive range of partners are in place, engaged in the work, and committed to the success of CDSME.

LECOM is successfully meeting all programmatic goals under the current Expanding Outreach and Professional Training to Engage Older Adults with Behavioral Health Conditions in Evidence-Based Health Promotion Programs cooperative agreement.

Authority: Older Americans Act, Title IV; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 42 U.S.C. 300U-11 (Prevention and Public Health Fund).

91 FR 58129