Please join us in congratulating Alameda County Care Alliance Advanced Illness Care Program (ACCA-AICP) for winning the 24th annual Award for Excellence in Program Innovation, presented by Archstone Foundation and the American Public Health Association (APHA).
The ACCA-AICP is a faith-based, person-centered, lay care navigation intervention serving predominantly African American adults with advanced illness and their caregivers, bridging the gap between health delivery systems, community organizations, and faith-based communities. It is a deserving recipient of the Award for Excellence in Program Innovation, which not only highlights and draws attention to innovation, but also identifies and recognizes leaders doing important work on behalf of older people. It also helps others learn about and emulate successful models and programs and keeps aging front and center in public health.
The program serves individuals with serious illnesses and their caregivers in Alameda County, Contra Costa County and most recently, San Francisco. ACCA-AICP services are available to all community members, regardless of race, ethnicity, or religious affiliation.
The intervention is holistic in its approach to identifying the needs of enrolled participants. One of the innovations contributing to the program’s success is the role of the Care Navigator. A Care Navigator walks alongside the participant providing trusted referrals, resources, and specially designed tools to empower them to achieve their identified goals within the program’s Five Cornerstones: spiritual, health (physical and emotional), social, advance care planning, and caregiving.
Many of the Care Navigators are well invested in the community they serve and create relationships with persons needing care and their families. Through the program’s networks, including over 40 churches, the ACCA-AICP helps to bridge the gap in health care, particularly for communities of color who have been historically underserved in these systems. The program also shows that faith communities are a trusted source for individuals with advanced illness and their family caregivers.
Findings from the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing evaluation show the program not only has a positive impact among individuals with advanced illness and their caregivers, but also on church congregations and the community. With more than 1,400 persons served, over half (55%) of participants completed an advance care directive (compared to 15% as the national average), received referrals to caregiver resources, and developed trusting relationships between the Care Navigators and persons in need of care.
About the Award
The Award for Excellence in Program Innovation was established through an endowment in 1997, in partnership with APHA, to recognize programs addressing the needs of adults 65 and older and to bridge the fields of aging and public health. Every year at the Annual Conference, APHA’s Aging & Public Health Section and Archstone Foundation host this award to recognize best practice models of innovative programs that effectively link academic theory with applied practice in public health and aging.
Past winners include A Matter of Balance, PEARLS, and Age-Friendly New York City, among others.
For More Information
Learn more about the Archstone Foundation Award for Excellence in Program Innovation. Nominations for the 2022 Award for Excellence will be accepted in Spring.
Jolene Fassbinder, Program Officer, also contributed to this blog.
