JHF to Serve on Leadership Team and Provide Training through CDC BOLD Public Health Grant Awarded to Allegheny County

Allegheny County Health Department (ACHD) was selected as one of 43 recipients nationally of the Centers for Disease Control's BOLD grants supporting public health programs to address Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), receiving $1.85 million in funding. Jewish Healthcare Foundation (JHF) will play a vital role, through Dementia Friends and Dementia Friendly PA, in assisting with the program.

Allegheny County is one of the oldest regions in the United States, with 19.7% of the population 65 years and older. It has the second largest population of older adults among the 40 largest U.S. counties, second to Palm Beach, Florida. Allegheny County's population has aged mainly in place, and this trend is anticipated to continue.

As a BOLD grant recipient, the ACHD will work to increase awareness and understanding among the public (including populations of high burden), providers, and other professionals of ADRD topics corresponding to primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. It will also address the social determinants of health to achieve health equity goals including but not limited to the improvement of community-clinical linkages among health care systems and existing services, public health agencies, and community-based organizations.

ACHD, JHF, the Alzheimer Association, Age-Friendly Greater Pittsburgh, and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services-Area Agency on Aging will serve on the leadership team that guides the work of the Allegheny County BOLD Coalition (ABC).

JHF will provide information sessions and training to the ABC and other community members, starting October 1, 2023 through September 30, 2028, as part of the Dementia Friends Pennsylvania Program. Read more in the press release here and in coverage by WESA.