(File Photo of Congressman Chris Deluzio)

Noah Haswell, Beaver County Radio News

(Carnegie, PA) According to a release in Carnegie today from Congressman Chris Deluzio’s office, Deluzio (PA-17) announced today that the Veterans Health Foundation is receiving $231,589 in federal grant funding to support the development of a new partnership model for Western Pennsylvania Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Centers. The Administration for Community Living and the Administration on Aging was where the funding was provided through and they are sub-agencies of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which was received as part of their Elder Justice Innovation Grant program. Deluzio is a Navy Veteran himself. Western Pennsylvania is home to a large population of veterans that are older, and the advocates for older veterans are concerned that when threats to both their safety and health are reported to a local AAA, weak mechanisms for both collaboration and coordination with the local VA Medical Center can result in opportunities that are missed for care. This grant will help address those concerns and it will also support work with the VA Medical Centers in Butler and Pittsburgh to pilot a new program that is innovative for the VA to better support patients that are experiencing elder mistreatment. Lena Makaroun, MD, VA Pittsburgh researcher, is the person that is leading the program.