Monday, May 19, 2025
5/19/2025
Vermont Public Health Approaches to Addressing Arthritis - The Vermont Department of Health (VDH) is pleased to submit this proposal for State Public Health Approaches to Addressing Arthritis (CDC-RFA-DP-23-0001) funding. Vermont is the fourth “oldest” state in the country, and our arthritis rates are higher than the national rate at 29%. Additionally, in Vermont 61% of people live in rural areas, where there are reduced access to services, compared to the U. S. rate of 19%. Five of the fourteen counties in Vermont have significantly higher rates of arthritis compared to the statewide rate, as do low-income adults (56%) and adults with disabilities (48%). In addition to the statewide reach, this proposal will be a focus on these disparate populations. Vermont will improve arthritis management and quality of life for adults with arthritis through statewide implementation and promotion of the Walk With Ease, PEARLS, and Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance programs. This will be achieved through establishing, promoting, and/or creating referral pathways to these programs with key partners including LiveWell, the State of Vermont’s employee wellness program; Support and Services at Home (SASH), a support organization for older, low-income Vermonters and those with disabilities; Vermont Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs), statewide agencies that provide assistance to older Vermonters and their families; and the American Association of Retired Persons Vermont (AARP), an organization that supports people as they age. These key partners will also create sustainability of AAEBIs through implementation of three strategies. LiveWell will incorporate the Walk with Ease program into their yearly incentive program. SASH will create a PEARLS train-the-trainer program, to train new staff as they are onboarded. Finally, a stronger connection between AARP and the AAAs will be fostered, to ensure use of the AARP program locator to sustain enrollment in Walk with Ease, and other collaborative wellness programming, for AAA associated non-AARP members. Focusing on reducing disparities for Vermonters with disabilities, SASH will modify the Walk with Ease curricula to ensure the program is appropriate for those with disabilities. Further, they will identify those that they serve with disabilities and ensure that they are equitably offered access to AAEBIs. Activities will also be undertaken to increase awareness in healthcare providers about the benefits of physical activity counseling and AAEBIs for arthritis management. This will be achieved through VDH’s established partnerships with Bi-State Primary Care Association, who serves Federally Qualified Health Centers in Vermont and the Vermont Blueprint for Health, who supports the statewide network of patient centered medical homes. These partners will offer healthcare providers and Community Health Teams opportunities to learn more about evidence-based approaches to physical activity counseling, and the benefits and availability of AAEBIs through “Lunch and Learn” sessions; presentations; webinars; and access to online trainings, resources, and toolkits. Data from the BRFSS Arthritis module and from our partners will be used to refine the approach over time as needed. This information will be disseminated to partners and other stakeholders so there is broad awareness of program activities and successes, any barriers can be addressed, and as a tool to help potential partners understand the goals, strategies, and accomplishments of the program.
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).