Thursday, April 3, 2025
4/3/2025
Addressing Denentia in Indian Country - The Fallon Paiute-Shoshone Tribe endeavors to design and implement a comprehensive model of care for dementia patients. Because of the intended impact on community health, the Fallon Tribal Health Center (FTHC) will manage the Addressing Dementia in Indian Country program. FTHC patients are members of local tribes and come from Fallon and the surrounding areas. In 2022, FTHC staff logged more than 16,000 medical appointments. FTHC provides comprehensive health care, including senior services. However, as FTHC’s population ages, patient care plans require more coordination, particularly for those experiencing dementia. Program activities will include hiring a Dementia Care Specialist, administering an assessment of the prevalence of dementia within FTHC’s service area, mapping available services to identify gaps in care and implementing a model of care that is culturally relevant and community based. A Dementia Care Steering Committee, consisting of leadership from Tribal Health Organizations, will be established to ensure the model of care includes multi-disciplinary input and execution. Tribal Health Organizations will include the health center, senior center, wellness center and behavioral health services. Program efforts will also include public education and the creation of support groups for caregivers. As the model of care is developed and activities progress, program evaluation will be based on the number of patients screened for dementia, receiving services from multiple organizations, assigned to the Dementia Care Specialist, home safety evaluations, new Medicare enrollees and emergent care volume compared with data from before and after program implementation. The health center’s electronic health record system (EHR) will serve as the data repository – all organizations will enter program data directly into the EHR, so reporting will be accurate and consistent. The structure of FPST’s Addressing Dementia initiative will be shared with other American Indian and Alaska Native Tribes to proliferate its use and success.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).