Saint Elizabeth Community is expanding its SASH® (Support and Services at Home) model of supported housing thanks to a $1,441,000 grant from the Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (OHHS).
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For the past five years, Saint Elizabeth Community has piloted SASH® to residents at Saint Elizabeth Apartments for Seniors and Mobility-Impaired on Westminster Street in Providence. Now the organization has received additional funding to expand the pilot, adding up to six additional sites, in communities including Pawtucket and West Warwick, impacting 500 individuals.
“We are thrilled that we are able to expand the SASH program thanks to this additional funding,” says Matthew R. Trimble, President and CEO of Saint Elizabeth Community. “This program is proven to reduce medical visits and hospitalization among our residents so they can stay at home safely while they continue to live independently as they age.”
SASH® provides participants living in senior apartments with access to an onsite coordinator and registered nurse who connect them to resources and deliver programs that have demonstrated decreased rates of hospitalization and nursing facility placement. SASH® is free for participants who enroll voluntarily. The program is based on a successful statewide SASH® program in Vermont.
The Rhode Island Executive Office of Health and Human Services (OHHS) awarded this grant through the Money Follows the Person Program (MFP), a federal demonstration grant that provides participating states the opportunity to help Medicaid beneficiaries who live in institutions to transition to the community and gives people with disabilities and older adults more choice in deciding where to live and receive Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS).
“We want our seniors and those with disabilities to be able to age in place, if they choose to do so,” said Acting Secretary Ana Novais. “And that means making sure they have the supports they need at home. EOHHS is proud to support this important, voluntary program and help it expand to different communities so more Rhode Islanders can receive services.”
