Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #904FY0102

S.A.F.E. Program (Stopping Accidental Falls for Elders)

Requester:

David Schwarts

Organization:

Elder Care Companies

Project Title:

S.A.F.E. Program (Stopping Accidental Falls for Elders)

Date Submitted:

1/16/2002 3:13:54 PM

Sponsors:

Ronald Silver

Statewide Interest:

By reducing the frequency of falls for elders, we will reduce nrsing home and hospital admissions, provide a cost savings to the state.

Recipient:

Elder Care Companies

Contact:

David Schwartz

11929 East Colonial Drive, Suite 181

Contact Phone:

(888) 946-7600 16

Orlando 32826

Counties:

Broward, Dade, Palm Beach

Gov't Entity:

Private Organization (Profit/Not for Profit):

Yes

Project Description:

Florida can sharply reduce the frequency, severity and costs of geriatric falls by adopting a Pennsylvania-Tested program that has driven fall frequencies and costs down (while saving Medicaid dollars for the taxpayer).� The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania contracted with the ElderCare Companies in June of 2000 to begin a two-year demonstration program in Philadelphia to reduce geriatric falls among community-resident Medicaid elders.� The program (S.A.F.E. in Philadelphia) is the largest and most comprehensive community-based geriatric Medicaid fall prevention program ever mounted in the United States.� S.A.F.E. operates: 1) by increasing elders' awareness of fall risk factors; and 2) by encouraging behavioral changes aimed at achieving fall reduction activities in both elders and their support network (e.g. family caregivers, healthcare providers, etc.).� In addition, S.A.F.E. provides on-site training and facility fall-risk analysis for selected hospitals and nursing homes in Philadelphia County.� The S.A.F.E. project has reduced falls by approximately 66% in the target sub communities and is saving Pennsylvania taxpayers $7 for ever $1 invested in the program.

Measurable Outcome Anticipated:

Reduce the frequency of falls for elders

Reduce the number of nursing home admissions due to falls

Increase awareness about falls for elders, their caregivers and their health professionals.

Amount requested from the State for this project this year:

$6,000,000

Total cost of the project:

$6,000,000

Request has been made to fund:

Operations

What type of match exists for this project?

None

Was this project previously funded by the State?

No

Is future-year funding likely to be requested?

Unknown

Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?

No

Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?

No

Is there a documented need for this project?

Yes

Documentation:

Florida's high incidence of deaths-due-to geriatric falls

Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?

No