This study, funded as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Systems for Action research program, assesses effective strategies to eliminate disparities in access to COVID-19 vaccination by race and ethnicity by building on an existing nationwide initiative of the Aging and Disability Vaccination Collaborative (ADVC). The ADVC, administered by USAging with funding from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, supports community-based organizations (CBOs) to facilitate seasonal vaccinations by aligning social services, public health and health care.

Elder abuse and neglect (EA/N) is a public health and safety epidemic with impacts in emergency department utilization, nursing home placement, mortality, and financial losses. Vulnerability has been shown to be highly correlated with EA/N victimization, yet research is lacking on interventions aimed at decreasing vulnerability. The principal investigators of this study are reviewing the impact of a primary prevention strategy for EA/N victimization: the community complex care response team (CCRT) intervention.

Addressing the social determinants of health is vital to improving individual and population health and advancing health equity. Research indicates that integrating health and social services is both necessary and cost-effective. This is especially true for the growing number of older adults who face increasing risk of multiple chronic health conditions, cognitive decline, and disability. The Community Care Connections program developed by Lifespan of Greater Rochester integrates care navigators and health care coordinators into the workflow and referral systems in health care delivery settings.

A vast majority of older Americans who are eligible for federal nutrition assistance programming remained un-enrolled, placing them at increased risk of food insecurity and its associated adverse health conditions and healthcare costs. A research team led by Benefits Data Trust and the UPMC Center for High-Value Healthcare will study the health and economic effects of a novel health plan strategy to increase benefit program enrollment.