Thursday, Aug. 18, 2005 | 11:04 a.m.
Nevada is one of 19 states set to receive federal funding for long-term care services.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Administration on Aging announced today that Nevada's Department of Health and Human Services would receive $750,000 to provide a one-stop location for long-term support services.
The Aging and Disability Resource Center grants are being issued to help seniors and disabled people overcome barriers to community living, the federal agencies said in their joint release.
"Resource centers are a tremendous help to families who need to find effective long-term care for a loved one, often with little time to prepare," CMS Administrator Dr. Mark McClellan said in a statement.
Many states, including Nevada, have a number of agencies that provide health care information, making it difficult for seniors and their caregivers to learn about home-based care, skilled nursing, Medicare and other benefits and resources that are commonly used later in life.
In Nevada, seniors may call Clark County Social Services, the state department of Aging Services, the state department of Child and Family Services, state Medicaid and other agencies.
"If somebody wants information it's whoever they happen to call," state Aging Services Administrator Carol Sala said. "They may get a piece of information here and a piece of information there."
The grant, which lasts three years, will enable Nevada to establish three aging and disability resources centers, the first of which will be created in Las Vegas with onsite staff to assist people, Sala said.
Other resource centers will be created in the Reno-Washoe County area and Elko in subsequent years, she said.
"It's really exciting," Sala said. "It's long-term care planning, not specifically nursing homes."
The centers will focus on home care services, Medicare changes and other topics in addition to skilled nursing facilities, she said.
The resource centers will be complemented by a statewide telephone service that will enable Nevadans to call 211 and receive information about various health and human services topics, Sala said.
In the meantime, seniors and caregivers can obtain resource information from the state's Web site, nveldercare.org.
The grant was supported by numerous state and local government agencies, the Southern Nevada Center for Independent Living, the Silver Haired Congress, WorldDoc, HealthInsight and UNR.
The grants will help states to "minimize confusion and enhance the individuals' ability to make informed decisions and not have to go from one state agency to another," federal Administration on Aging spokeswoman Martha Pratt said. "It's a one-stop source."
Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C., and Wyoming received the latest round of grants, which totaled $15 million.
In all, 43 states have received the grants with awards of up to $800,000.
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