#USAgingHere4You: Paul Cantrell

• By: USAging
• On: 04/19/2024 16:50:49
• In: Program Update

Paul Cantrell joined USAging in November 2023 and serves as Director of the Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care, which is part of USAging’s Aging and Disability Business Institute. In this role, Paul oversees the implementation of the COE’s request for proposals that will award funds to up to 20 community care hubs that are developing across the Aging and Disability Networks to support contracting opportunities for work with health care organizations. He is also working on developing and expanding USAging’s consulting services program.
 
Paul held many different positions before coming to USAging. His past positions include serving as the director of life and health division at the Georgia Insurance Department and as the vice president of group purchasing and advocacy at the Atlanta Healthcare Alliance/Georgia Business Forum on Health. However, it wasn’t until spending time at Humana that Paul decided he wanted to work in aging.
“One of my last projects at Humana was to build a better understanding of the Aging Network. Once I learned about the work AAAs do, I was hooked!”
 
From there, he spent 12 years as a consultant to community-based organizations (CBOs), CBO associations (including USAging) and healthcare organizations. Then was eventually led to USAging.
 
Since starting at USAging, Paul has most enjoyed being able to focus on helping to move the work of the COE forward on a national scale and support the work that happens at the local level.
 
With a background in many different areas, Paul brings a unique blend of experiences to USAging which can be invaluable to our members. He hopes that they will feel free to reach out to them if they need support around contracting or consulting.
 
Overall, Paul is hoping to make an impact with his work here by “helping members and the Aging Network to be successful in health care contracting efforts to support whole-person care and help member agencies tap into the potential for sustainable funding to support and enhance this work.”
 
A fun fact about Paul is that he drove a school bus during his junior and senior years of high school. At that time, students represented the primary source of school bus drivers in South Carolina.
 
USAging’s Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care Team

• Paul Cantrell, Director, Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care, pcantrell@usaging.org
  Carol Bennett, Senior Program Manager, Center of Excellence to Align Health and Social Care, cbennett@usaging.org

USAging in Next Avenue—Preventing Homelessness Among Older Adults

• By: USAging
• On: 04/19/2024 09:39:50
• In: USAging in the News

In a new piece in Next Avenue, USAging CEO Sandy Markwood and Jeff Olivet, Executive Director of the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness, urge the nation to do more to stop the alarming rise in homelessness among older adults. In “Homelessness After Age 50 Is Rising,” they say the key is preventing homelessness from happening in the first place.

Markwood and Olivet point to successful AAA programs as models for local efforts, including the Area Office on Aging of Northwest Ohio and Multnomah County Aging, Disability and Veteran Services Division. USAging’s recent case studies featured these and other AAA homelessness prevention initiatives, many of which started by building relationships with homeless services systems, which are led by local continuums of care (CoC). Consider asking your CoC for their new data on older adults and explore opportunities to creatively collaborate. 

ACL and Senate Aging RFIs: Feedback Needed on Elder Justice and Hoarding Disorder

• By: USAging
• On: 04/05/2024 11:39:26
• In: Policy & Advocacy

This month, AAAs and the Aging Network have two opportunities to submit responses to requests for information (RFIs) from the Senate Special Committee on Aging and ACL. 

The Senate Aging Committee is seeking information on the impacts of hoarding disorder, including how it affects your communities and agencies, and how the federal government can help address this issue. For the full RFI, please click here; responses are due to HoardingDisorder@aging.senate.gov no later than 11:59 PM EST on April 15, 2024.

Responses are also due later this month for ACL’s RFI on Elder Justice Coordinating Council Activities. ACL wants to better understand recommended areas or issues where the Elder Justice Coordinating Council can best promote elder justice. Questions include identification of key elder justice areas and issues, which tools can best equip states and communities to uphold elder justice supports and services, and more. Responses are due to ejpubliccomments@acl.hhs.gov by 11:59 PM EST on April 24, 2024. 

To share your responses with USAging and for any questions about these RFIs, please email policy@usaging.org.