By Matt Simonette

Staff writer

Howard Brown Health Center announced Feb. 29 that it has received funding for a program designed to address the healthcare needs of GLBT elders.

The Chicago Elder Services Community Initiative, which is slated to begin operating near the end of this year, is loosely modeled after HBHC’s Broadway Youth Center program, according to Michael Cook, president and CEO of HBHC.

He said the initiative would incorporate a holistic approach for client wellness, offering medical care, behavioral health, case management, drop-in support and in-home care, among other services.

Amber Hollibaugh, of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, said the program is a response to the growing needs of GLBT elders. Citing the lack of any comprehensive and integrated health programs geared toward that population’s needs, Hollibaugh said, “One of the things that is so important (here) is that this collaborative project will be a model for work across the nation.”

She added, “We can’t do it all. We need to be able to have partnerships so that we can sustain work across a range of issues that no one provider can ever put forward.”

Collaborating on the initiative along with HBHC are the Council for the Jewish Elderly, Heartland Alliance, Midwest Palliative & Hospice CareCenter and Rush Community Care Center.

The project was made possible by a federal grant of more than $383,000 secured by U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Chicago). The project also received support from the Baxter International Foundation and Chicago Community Trust.

Schakowsky said, “There’s been a lot of criticism of earmarks—that this is somehow some kind evil pork thing that some rich connected person benefits from…(but) I’m just so happy that as a member of Congress I can secure for projects like this.”

Cook added that HBHC is currently undertaking a needs assessment that it expects to complete by June. He expects the new program to be up and running by the end of 2008.