Dr. Rizzo Receives Mother Cabrini Health Foundation Grant

Dr. Victoria M. Rizzo has been named the principal investigator for a grant received by the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.

The purpose of this project is to improve the wellbeing of at-risk or underserved older adults and their families and prevent older adults’ hospital utilization. The focus will be on enhancing community-based agencies' abilities to assess older adults’ Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) needs (i.e., transportation, housing, nutrition, social support) and provide case management services to address them.

Partnerships with rural agencies without social workers and case management staff will be made, and MSW interns will be provided by the SSW. Online training programs will be utilized, focusing on SDoH assessment, case management and interprofessional skills that enable students and staff to address the identified SDoH needs of older adults.