Originally Published at https://www.coasttv.com/news/education-health-research-international-receives-1-25m-grant-to-support-chronic-disease-self-management-education/article_9334235d-2d16-4290-b498-d5e8007dd83a.html
A Delaware organization was granted more than $1 million to bolster health education for older Delawareans.
Education Health & Research International announced on Jan. 28 that it received a $1.25 million grant from the federal Administration on Aging’s Administration on Community Living to expand critical health education for older adults with chronic conditions and adults with disabilities.
The grant is one of only four national awards issued, according to EHRI.
EHRI, located at Milford Wellness Village in Milford, implements community-based senior health services in Delaware. The nonprofit’s mission is to improve healthcare at individual, community and population levels through collaborations with local partners like the Mental Health Association in Delaware, Jewish Family Services, Modern Maturity Center and more.
The grant will be used to fund a program prioritizing conditions of anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder, stressors associated with caregiving, loss of a loved one or changes in finances or diagnosis. EHRI noted that chronic diseases and behavioral issues overlap, with depression being the most common.
The Delaware Population Consortium reported that more than 25% of the state’s population is older than 60, with people older than 65 projected to rise by more than 65% from 2015 to 2050. The 2025 Older Americans Act data found that 70% of Medicare recipients aged 65 and older have three or more chronic conditions. From 2016 to 2023, chronic diseases cost Delaware $135 billion in direct health expenses, according to the University of Delaware’s Cost of Chronic Diseases study.
Rabbi Halberstam, EHRI’s chief strategy officer, said in a press release that the funding will enable the organization and its trained volunteers to reach over 600 people throughout Delaware with no-cost, small group workshops.
