North Dakota Department of Human Services

NEWS from the N.D. Department of Human Services

600 E Boulevard Avenue, Bismarck ND 58505-0250



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 1, 2009



Contact: Heather Steffl, Public Information Officer, N.D. Department of Human Services, 701-328-4933



North Dakota pilot project to help seniors and their families find and access needed services



BISMARCK, N.D. – Gov. John Hoeven and Department of Human Services Executive Director Carol K. Olson announced today that the Federal Administration on Aging has awarded the North Dakota Department of Human Services a $202,771 grant to fund an Aging and Disability Resource Center pilot project in the Bismarck region.



“This is good news for North Dakota, and takes us a step closer to the kind of program we see for the entire state,” Hoeven said. “The program will help inform older adults, adults with disabilities, and their families about the range of long-term care services available to them. More importantly, however, it will provide them with personal assistance to connect them with services and resources they need.”



According to department officials, the pilot project will strengthen coordination and referrals between existing service providers.



Staff at the department’s West Central Human Service Center in Bismarck will guide the project, which will focus first on Burleigh County. The initiative will expand over three years to also include Emmons, Grant, Kidder, McLean, Mercer, Morton, Oliver, Sheridan, and Sioux counties if the state receives additional grant dollars.



In addition to the department’s Aging Services Division, Medicaid Division, and the regional human service center, other supportive partners include: AARP, Burleigh County Social Services; Older Americans Act service providers such as the Burleigh County Senior Adults Program, the centers for independent living, the North Dakota Insurance Department’s State Health Insurance Counseling Program, and other long-term service providers.



“This pilot project will add that personal customer service that people dealing with a health crisis and unexpected disability need,” Olson said.



The department’s Aging and Disability Resource LINK phone line (1-800-451-8693) and its companion Web site (www.carechoice.nd.gov) are also available to help people locate services.

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