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Organization: Providence Holy Cross Medical Center
Date: January 6, 2009
Providence Health & Services Hospitals Offer New Service to the Community to Help Older Adults Access Needed Benefits
San Fernando Valley (Jan. 6, 2009) — Providence Health & Services in California has begun a new service for people 50 and older with limited resources that identifies programs to help pay for prescription drugs, health care, utilities, food and other basic needs.
Many older adults living in the communities served by Providence in the San Fernando Valley are qualified for programs that could significantly improve their health and overall quality-of-life — but have never applied.
As a service to the community, Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank; Providence Holy Cross Medical Center in Mission Hills; and the organization’s newest member, Providence Tarzana Medical Center, have launched BenefitsCheckUp at www.Providence.org/Beyond50 to help link residents to these benefits.
The Web site guides users to public and private programs identified by the National Council on Aging that can help in a variety of ways ranging from heating and energy assistance to prescription savings programs to income supplements. This Providence site links older adults to this information and helps those who qualify apply.
For example, many people with lower incomes who have Medicare would qualify for a Medicare Savings Program that would pay for their monthly Medicare premiums — a savings of almost $1,200 a year. Others may qualify for property tax assistance or benefit from meal programs offered in their communities.
Now, not only will Providence hospitals be encouraging seniors through the "Beyond 50 Program" to get much-needed physical checkups every year, they also will be encouraging those 50 and older to get a much-needed "benefits checkup" as well.
Family members and caregivers also can use Providence’s BenefitsCheckUp tool to locate community resources and support services for loved ones.
"Providence Health is committed to helping older adults take full advantage of the benefits to which they are entitled," says Linda Gaul, manager of Senior Care Services in the San Fernando Valley.
Making BenefitsCheckUp available to our community is just one more way in which Providence is carrying out its mission of providing compassionate care, especially to those most in need.
Developed by The National Council on Aging, BenefitsCheckUp is the nation's most comprehensive Web-based tool to screen for benefits programs for older adults with limited income and resources. It includes more than 1,550 public and private benefits programs from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
To find out more about Providence Health & Services’ programs services for adults 50 and over, including BenefitsCheckUp, go to www.Providence.org/Beyond50.
