RSVP for our Member Reception at the LeadingAge Meeting & Expo
For those attending the LeadingAge 2021 Meeting & Expo in Atlanta, join us for our member networking reception on October 24 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center. Please RSVP and bring your team and board members. We look forward to seeing you!
CEO Summit 2022 Registration OPEN!
Registration for CEO Summit 2022: A Future Reimagined is open! CEO Summit, which will be held in person in Tampa, Florida, January 23–26, will explore how leaders are reimagining the health and human services sector and guiding their organizations, partners, and key stakeholders in the post-pandemic world. Look out for an official announcement shortly after Labor Day. Register for CEO Summit, and book your room at the Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel in Tampa, Florida.
Spirituality and Aging Certificate Program
As an affiliate of the New Theological Seminary of the West, the Coalition on Spirituality and Aging has developed an online, master’s level course on the interplay between spirituality and the experience of aging. Our mission is to engage community organizations as well as faith communities in creating vibrant services and ministries that support and celebrate older adults by empowering leaders with current knowledge about aging in the context of spirituality.
Course Schedule:
Orientation: Saturday, September 18
Course 1: Saturday, October 16
Course 2: Saturday, November 20
Course 3: Saturday, January 15
Course 4: Saturday, February 12
- The Orientation is a 3-4 hour Zoom call. Other dates are 1 hour Zoom calls.
- Program will use the Moodle course management system and includes power point presentations, recorded videos, assigned readings and other resources prepared by the leaders of this program.
- Coursework will be done independently before and between the virtual class meetings on the dates listed above.
- Student Projects will be due in mid-March.
For more information click HERE.
News
- FDA panel recommends booster shots for some adults—but not all
- Senior living communities adopt regional approach to staff COVID-19 vaccine mandates
- The State of Senior Hunger in America in 2019: An Annual Report
- Direct Care Workers in the US: Key Facts (PHI)
Resources
- Suicide Prevention Awareness: Preventing Suicide in Older Adults
- NCOA Simple Home Modifications Checklist
- Impact of COVID-19 on Older Adults: 2021 International Healthy Policy Survey
Funding Opportunity
- Reeve Foundation Quality of Life Grants
Grants to nonprofit organizations providing services to improve the daily lives of people with paralysis and their caregivers with projects and initiatives that foster inclusion, community engagement, and health and wellness.
Application Deadline: October 14th, 2021
Sponsor: Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation - Community Mobility Ready-to-Launch Grants
Resources for communities implementing transportation solutions to support underserved residents.
Application Deadline: October 15th, 2021
Sponsor: National Center for Mobility Management - FY2022 AmeriCorps State and National Public Health AmeriCorps
Public Health AmeriCorps is a new partnership between AmeriCorps and the CDC to support the recruitment, training, and development of a new generation of public health leaders who will be ready to respond to the nation’s public health needs. Closing date: Nov. 8, 2021.
Application Deadline: November 8th, 2021
Sponsor: AmeriCorps and CDC - Wells Fargo Community Giving Programs
Funding for nonprofit organizations in the areas of housing affordability, financial health, small business growth, and the environment.
Application Deadline: On-going opportunity
Sponsor: Wells Fargo
Webinars
- NICOA Tribal LTSS National Resource Center Wednesday, September 22 at 2:00pm ET
- End-of-Life Care for Persons with DementiaThursday, September 30 from 2:30-4:00pm ET
- Social Isolation and Loneliness Among CaregiversWednesday October 6 from 12:00-1:00pm ET
Advocacy Update
Congressional Committees Move Forward with Drafting “Human Infrastructure” Package, Path to Passage Remains Challenging
Congressional committees have moved forward with crafting legislative language for the broad “human infrastructure” package. Democratic party leaders have indicated their hope that the House will vote on a package the last week of September, with relatively quick Senate approval to follow, but the process remains complicated due to continued disagreement within the party on the final cost of the package and what should be included, and it is likely that timeline will slip. A highlight for our network in the legislation in its current form is $1.48 billion to fund strategies to recruit and retain direct care workers, including raising wages and creating training opportunities to help address the direct care workforce shortage. A $190 billion investment in home- and community-based services is also included, falling short of the $400 billion proposed by the President. Congressional champions are continuing to fight for an increase in this funding, and Lutheran Services in America continues to advocate for the higher amount.
Please join us in this effort through our advocacy alert.
HHS to Release Additional $25.5 Billion in COVID-19 Provider Funding
The Department of Health and Human Services has announced that it will be making available to health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic an additional $25.5 billion: $8.5 billion in American Rescue Plan (ARP) resources for providers who serve rural Medicaid, Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), or Medicare patients, and an additional $17 billion for Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 for a broad range of providers who can document revenue loss and expenses associated with the pandemic. The application portal will open on September 29, 2021. To expedite the application process, providers will apply for both programs in a single application. PRF Phase 4 payments will be based on providers' lost revenues and expenditures between July 1, 2020, and March 31, 2021. Additionally, PRF Phase 4 will reimburse smaller providers at a higher rate compared to larger providers and will include bonus payments for providers who serve Medicaid, CHIP, and/or Medicare patients. Lutheran Services in America will provide more information, as well as a link to the portal, when it is created.
Biden Administration Expands Proposed Vaccination Mandate to Cover All Medicare/Medicaid Health Care Facilities
The Biden Administration on September 9 announced that previously announced proposed emergency regulations requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for nursing home workers will be expanded to cover all staff within any Medicare- or Medicaid-certified facility. This includes hospitals, dialysis facilities, ambulatory surgical settings, and home health agencies, among others. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is developing an Interim Final Rule and expects to publish it in October with a Public Comment Period. Lutheran Services in America is seeking additional feedback opportunities for affected providers like our members and will issue updates as we receive them, along with more information about how to comment when the rule is published.
The purpose of this digest is to provide current news and resources to Lutheran Senior Services organizations. The Catalyst is disseminated every other week and includes relevant reports, educational opportunities, policy updates and other announcements. To add colleagues to the distribution list or to unsubscribe from the Catalyst, send an email to awashington@lutheranservices.org.