A federal program designed to help aging-service professionals recognize and respond to mental health and behavioral health concerns among older adults is getting more than $1 million in additional funding.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living announced a $1,084,718 supplemental award to the Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, or LECOM. The money will expand a national initiative that provides training, tools and technical assistance to organizations working with older adults.
The additional funding brings federal support for the three-year project to approximately $4.35 million.
The Money Expands an Existing Older-Adult Program
The funding isn’t the launch of a new grant program.
LECOM has operated the Behavioral Health Resources for Integrated Development, Growth, Engagement, and Support—or BRIDGES for Older Adults—project since September 2024.
According to the Administration for Community Living, the project’s goal is to increase participation by older adults with behavioral health conditions in community-based, evidence-based health promotion programs. It also provides resources and training to professionals and organizations in the aging and disability network.
The original cooperative agreement provided $3,260,699 in fiscal year 2024. The new $1,084,718 supplement raises total funding for the September 2024 through August 2027 project period to $4,345,417.
The supplemental money covers Year 3, running from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027.
What BRIDGES for Older Adults Actually Does
BRIDGES isn’t primarily a clinical treatment program where older adults sign up to receive therapy.
Instead, it focuses heavily on the people and organizations that already interact with older adults.
The BRIDGES for Older Adults program provides training intended to help professionals recognize behavioral health concerns, respond appropriately and refer older adults to available support.
Those concerns can include depression, anxiety, substance-use issues, grief, stress and isolation. Behavioral health challenges can also make it more difficult for someone to participate successfully in programs designed to help manage diabetes, heart disease and other chronic health conditions.
By training professionals who work with older adults, the project aims to help those concerns get recognized and addressed rather than becoming an overlooked barrier to someone’s overall health.
More Organizations Will Receive Training and Support
The additional funding will allow LECOM to expand BRIDGES training and technical assistance to all Administration for Community Living Chronic Disease Self-Management Education grantees.
Those programs help people learn practical strategies for managing chronic health conditions and improving their health and quality of life.
Under the expanded BRIDGES project, organizations can receive different levels of technical assistance depending on how prepared they are to address behavioral health concerns. The federal notice calls for options including individual consultations, implementation coaching, office hours, cohort programs and peer-to-peer learning.
LECOM will also develop a dedicated partnership track for Chronic Disease Self-Management Education grantees, providing implementation resources and communities where participating organizations can learn from one another.
Another planned resource is a Dissemination and Engagement Playbook that can be used across BRIDGES, chronic disease programs and other Administration for Community Living initiatives.
A Free 13-Module Training Program Is Already Available
Federal officials pointed to work LECOM has already completed as one reason for continuing the project with the same organization.
Since receiving the original funding, BRIDGES has conducted needs assessments and stigma surveys, launched a national campaign aimed at reducing behavioral-health stigma and established a technical assistance center and online resource hub.
The project has also distributed toolkits throughout the aging and disability network and provided training through webinars, virtual events and national conferences.
One particularly useful resource is a free 13-module online behavioral health literacy curriculum.
The curriculum is designed for chronic-disease program facilitators, caregivers and older adults and focuses on helping people recognize behavioral health concerns, respond appropriately and make referrals when additional support is needed.
Resources and training are available through the BRIDGES for Older Adults website.
Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day Will Also Get Support
Part of the additional federal funding will support the 10th anniversary of Older Adult Mental Health Awareness Day, a virtual event focused on behavioral health issues affecting older Americans.
LECOM is expected to help coordinate participating federal agencies and bring together speakers, partner organizations, grantees and subject-matter experts.
The project will also provide continuing education and other training opportunities for professionals working in aging and behavioral health services.
That matters because the program isn’t simply attempting to distribute information directly to older adults. Much of its strategy involves improving the ability of community organizations, caregivers and professionals to recognize when someone may need additional help and connect that person with appropriate resources.
Why HHS Is Giving the Money to the Same Organization
The Administration for Community Living is awarding the additional $1.08 million to LECOM without opening a new competitive grant process.
Federal officials said replacing the existing grantee during the final year would be unnecessarily time-consuming and disruptive to the BRIDGES project and the people it serves.
The agency also cited the infrastructure LECOM has already created, including its technical assistance center, training curriculum, outreach campaign and national network.
In other words, this isn’t $1.08 million for an entirely new federal mental health program. It’s additional funding intended to expand work already underway and reach more organizations serving older adults.
Older adults, caregivers and professionals interested in the project’s free training and resources can visit BRIDGES for Older Adults to see what’s currently available.
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Amanda Blankenship is Chief Editor at District Media, Inc., leading content strategy, quality assurance, and editorial operations across high-traffic personal finance sites like SavingAdvice.com and CleverDude.com. A Wingate University graduate with a BA in Communications (Journalism focus), she brings over a decade of experience in digital publishing, writing, and team leadership in the personal finance space.
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