|
|
| |
In 1997 the Living at Home/Block Nurse Program, Inc. Board of Directors officially created a new subsidiary entity, Elderberry Institute, for the purpose of extending and supporting LAH/BNPs wherever they may be needed, but especially focused on the "heartland," from Minnesota to Texas. Elderberry Institute subsequently established a Regional Resource Center to support Program development in Texas. The growing number of Programs in the upper Midwest are supported from the Institute's office in St. Paul, MN.
In 2002 Elderberry Institute was adopted as the organization's DBA ("doing business as") name to reduce confusion between the Resource Center and local Living at Home/Block Nurse Programs.
Elderberry Institute's National Resource Center focuses on extending the Living At Home/Block Nurse Program model nationwide by helping groups of community citizens evaluate their elders' needs and create locally owned and operated Programs to meet those needs. The National Resource Center supports local Living at Home/Block Nurse Programs across the country with resources, management/reporting tools, education and consulting services. It also engages in activities supporting the Program model such as: public advocacy, education, resource development, demonstration projects, outcomes analysis, and results research and publication.
Elderberry Institute-trained Community Coaches actively support existing Programs, spreading the word about the Program Model, and personally assisting new Program founders, boards and staff. To further facilitate Program marketing, replication and support, the Institute's website continuously expands to offer prospective Program founders, existing Programs and Community Coaches immediate, direct access to a myriad of tools and resources. Use of the website in 2002 averaged 70,000 hits a month.
At the end of 2002, a family of forty strong, local Programs served elders in communities across Minnesota, the first North Dakota Program had begun in Enderlin, and five Programs were operating in the greater Fort Worth/Dallas area. Currently additional Program founders are being actively sought through a Seeding Fund RFP process in the six-state upper Midwest region. A number of prospect communities in Texas, North Dakota, Wisconsin, Ohio and other states are now in the early-discussion stages.
Local Program Support
Elderberry Institute works to support existing Programs. In this role, the Institute provides "technical assistance" including:
- expertise on application and configurations of the Program model
- board, staff and volunteer education and training
- fundraising tools and techniques
- grant proposal review and comment
- assistance seeking legislative support
- opportunities for collaborative funds for "special projects"
- membership in a professionally managed "Sustaining Fund"
- group General Liability umbrella insurance coverage at cost
- assistance with staff hiring and HR practices
- information systems consulting
- assistance with outcomes reporting to support ongoing local/state/federal funding
- Program operations consulting
- group facilitation and problem-solving
- computerized and web-based tools
- regional network and all-site annual meetings
New Program Support
Additionally, the Institute helps extend the LAH/BNP to new communities by:
- presenting and advocating the Program model in public forums
- developing collaborative relationships with public and private funders, supporters and other communities of interest
- soliciting and administering "Program Seeding Funds"
- collecting, analyzing and disseminating Program performance and impact data
- providing coaching and resources to Program founders/steering committees
- educating policymakers about the benefits of this community-based Model
|
|
|
