Premier, Inc. Honors Program that Helps Low-Income Seniors Age in Place with National Award and $100,000 Donation

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06/22/2023 - 05:00 PM

The Aging Gracefully program recognized for enabling low-income elderly homeowners in Guilford County, North Carolina, to live safer, healthier lives and stay in their homes longer.

CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Aging Gracefully, a nonprofit program dedicated to making homes safer for low-income adults over the age of 65, has received the 2023 Premier Cares Award and a $100,000 cash prize from Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC), a leading technology-driven healthcare improvement company.

Sponsored by Premier and its alliance of more than 4,400 hospitals and health systems and approximately 250,000 other providers and organizations, the Premier Cares Award recognizes standalone community agencies and health organizations that are improving the lives of the medically underserved.

Demonstrated in 2017 and fully implemented in 2020 by Greensboro, North Carolina-based Community Housing Solutions, the Aging Gracefully program helps to increase older adults’ mobility, functionality and quality of life while allowing them to remain in their homes. According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) 2021 Home and Community Preferences survey, 77 percent of adults ages 50 and older want to stay in their homes and of those, 33 percent report their houses would need modifications to be able to do so safely and independently.

“The Guilford County, North Carolina area has a gap in resources and service organizations to serve low-income, older adults who need an accessibility modification to prevent falls and allow them to live and age in place at home,” said Gene Brown, President and Executive Director of Community Housing Solutions. “We are grateful and honored to have the Aging Gracefully program recognized by Premier, and we look forward to expanding it to ensure more of our elderly residents have access to the housing modifications they desperately need to live healthier lives and remain in their homes.”

Central to the Aging Gracefully program is a partnership between Community Housing Solutions, Cone Health and Triad HealthCare Network (THN). Community Housing Solutions provides a reputable, qualified construction team to complete the accessibility modifications and repairs, while Cone Health provides healthcare providers to educate and train each Aging Gracefully client on how to use the home modifications to reach their functionality and mobility goals.

The Aging Gracefully program includes six to eight in-home sessions with a Cone Health occupational therapist and five to seven in-home sessions with a THN registered nurse. In addition, durable medical and assistive equipment is provided by Community Housing Solutions as needed for clients to achieve their goals. Each year, approximately 50 homeowners benefit from the Aging Gracefully program.

“Home repairs and accessibility modifications for our senior citizens such as tub-to-shower conversions and installation of grab bars, handrails and access ramps are critically needed, yet for lower-income elders, these necessities may be too expensive and out of reach,” said Michael J. Alkire, President and CEO of Premier. “Thanks to the Aging Gracefully program, those in need are getting the modifications and educational sessions they require to continue living and aging in their homes safely. We are proud to advance the program’s work and honored to recognize their achievements with the 2023 Premier Cares Award.”

A panel of national healthcare leaders selects the Premier Cares Award winner each year. The program spotlights community-based healthcare initiatives and helps other organizations learn to replicate activities, as well as provides funding support to help winners advance their programs and services. To date, the Premier Cares program has provided more than $3 million to more than 100 organizations nationwide.

Premier has presented the Cares Award annually since 1991, when it was created by Monroe E. Trout, M.D., former CEO of American Healthcare Systems, one of Premier’s heritage organizations. The competition is open to nonprofit organizations that have been in existence for more than two years, are providing creative solutions to health status improvement, can provide documentation of outcomes and impact on a specific population, and have programs that can be replicated in other communities.

Gene Brown and Cheryl Brandberg of Community Housing Solutions are accepting the Cares Award and $100,000 cash prize on behalf of the Aging Gracefully program on June 22, 2023, during the closing keynote session at Premier’s annual Breakthroughs Conference and Exhibition.

Please visit Community Housing Solutions’ website or email info@chshousing.org for more information about the Aging Gracefully program.

About Premier, Inc.

Premier, Inc. (NASDAQ: PINC) is a leading healthcare improvement company, uniting an alliance of more than 4,400 U.S. hospitals and health systems and approximately 250,000 other providers and organizations to transform healthcare. With integrated data and analytics, collaboratives, supply chain solutions, and consulting and other services, Premier enables better care and outcomes at a lower cost. Premier plays a critical role in the rapidly evolving healthcare industry, collaborating with members to co-develop long-term innovations that reinvent and improve the way care is delivered to patients nationwide. Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., Premier is passionate about transforming American healthcare. Please visit Premier’s news and investor sites on www.premierinc.com; as well as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Premier’s blog for more information about the company.