Local Senior Services Gap Analysis to be Unveiled at May 1 Event Hosted by SCAN, City of Long Beach and Long Beach State University

LONG BEACH, Calif., April 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- SCAN, a leading senior-focused organization with the mission of keeping seniors healthy and independent, today announced that the City of Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services will present for the first time a gap analysis identifying resources the community needs to provide more holistic services for aging residents.

Results will be unveiled on May 1 at Aging Reimagined 2.0, in follow up to the 2017 Aging Reimagined colloquium hosted by SCAN, the City of Long Beach and Long Beach State University. The 2018 gathering will bring together dozens of community partners committed to improving aging services in Long Beach.

Developed over a six-month period, the gap analysis was completed as part of a FUSE Fellowship program focused on ensuring Long Beach can meet the needs of its growing senior population. Funded by SCAN, FUSE Fellow Karen Doolittle serves in a year-long consulting role with the City of Long Beach Department of Health & Human Services and Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine.

"Last year's event focused on enhancing services and supports for the seniors of greater Long Beach, so our decision to fund the FUSE Fellowship made perfect sense," said SCAN CEO Chris Wing. "In collaboration with our partners at the City of Long Beach and Long Beach State University, we are committed to ensuring the most critical needs are met for older adults in our community."

FUSE is a national nonprofit that helps local governments tackle crucial challenges across economic and workforce development, healthcare, public safety, climate change and education. Through this program, Doolittle has been embedded within the city's Community Health Bureau and tasked with helping to design the Office of Aging and identifying avenues to improve the health and well-being of the city's senior population, especially those who live below the poverty line.

"We appreciate SCAN's support for the City's effort to increase access to senior services. The gap analysis is the key to determining where and how we can best focus our resources to make Long Beach a more age-friendly community," said Kelly Colopy, director, City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services. "Karen brings invaluable experience in strategy development to the Health Department and will be vital in helping us design a coordinated system of health and social services for older adults."

Aging Reimagined 2.0 agenda highlights will include the unveiling of a new Center focused on Aging Services for the City of Long Beach, the introduction of the newly instated City of Long Beach Aging Services staff, the announcement of the Long Beach State University Archstone Foundation Endowed Chair and updates on other project advancements in the last year.

"Long Beach is charting a new path with nonprofit partners, healthcare organizations and City government bringing together their resources, talent, and ideas to serve our seniors," said City of Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. "Last year, the City Council and I voted to open an office to support aging services. And this year, the City of Long Beach signed onto the Network of Age-Friendly Communities with AARP bringing us into a network of resources and best practices to create an age-friendly city."

Speakers at Aging Reimagined 2.0 will include:

• U.S. Representative Alan Lowenthal
• Stacy Mungo, Councilwoman, City of Long Beach
• Karen Doolittle, Long Beach FUSE Fellow
• Chris Wing, CEO, SCAN
• Kelly Colopy, director, City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services
• Tiffany Cantrell-Warren, bureau manager, City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services
• Monica Lounsbery, PhD, dean, College of Health and Human Services, Long Beach State University
• Iveris Martinez, PhD, Archstone Foundation Endowed Chair
• Romilla Batra, M.D., chief medical executive, SCAN

"Long Beach State University has long been dedicated to innovating new approaches to serving the needs of seniors, and we are pleased to continue our cooperation with SCAN and the City of Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services so that older adults can thrive in our community," said Monica Lounsbery, PhD, dean, College of Health and Human Services. "At Aging Reimagined 2.0, we will formally announce the newly named Archstone Foundation Endowed Chair."

The Archstone Foundation Endowed Chair was initially created in 1986, to establish a center that would draw from faculty expertise across the campus to conduct research and provide professional services to the health fields. In 1996, Archstone Foundation's mission shifted from a broad focus on health and health care delivery, to preparing society to meet the needs of an aging population. The newly named Archstone Foundation Endowed Chair will facilitate interdisciplinary faculty initiatives within the college. The Chair will also cultivate community stakeholder support and partnerships in an aging education and research core focused on  innovative projects and programs designed to meet the needs of older people in Long Beach, while educating a workforce to care for them.

Attendance at the colloquium, which will take place at the El Dorado Park West Community Center, is by invitation only. Additional information and key takeaways will be made available to the public following the event.

About SCAN
SCAN is a not-for-profit organization committed to keeping seniors healthy and independent. That's been our mission since our founding in 1977. Today we deliver on that mission through SCAN Health Plan, one of the largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plans in the nation. Independence at Home, a SCAN community service, provides vitally needed services and support to seniors, disabled adults and their caregivers. SCAN also offers education programs, community funding, volunteer opportunities and other community services throughout our California service area. To learn more, visit scanhealthplan.com or facebook.com/scanhealthplan or follow us on twitter @scanhealthplan.

About City of Long Beach
Home to approximately 460,000 people, the multiple award-winning and innovative City of Long Beach is an ethnically diverse community, offering all the world-class amenities of a large metropolitan city while maintaining a strong sense of individual neighborhoods. Long Beach is home to the Queen Mary, Aquarium of the Pacific, several museums and theaters, Long Beach Airport, an award-winning school district, the Port of Long Beach, as well as many award-winning departments such as Health, Parks, Recreation and Marine, Development Services and more. The City also has two historic ranchos, five hospitals, five golf courses, 169 parks, miles of beaches, bike paths, and a Bike Share program.

About the College of Health & Human Services, Long Beach State University
The College of Health & Human Services at Long Beach State University will be nationally and internationally recognized as an innovator and leader in community connections, the discovery of knowledge and educating diverse students in the health and human services professions. Our national and international reputation will attract and retain a richly diverse, high-quality faculty whose students-centered teaching, research and collaborations in the campus and global communities will be well recognized and rewarded. Through our richly diverse and highly qualified faculty, we strive to be leader in connections to the community, collaboration with other universities, research, community service, number of active centers and number of students seeking professional careers. 

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SOURCE SCAN

Related Links

http://www.scanhealthplan.com