Sanofi Awards Grant to National Council on Aging to Improve Health of Older Adults with Chronic Conditions

$500,000 Will Promote Benefits of Self-Management

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Sanofi has awarded a $500,000 grant to the National Council on Aging (NCOA) to support its efforts to improve the health and independence of millions of older adults with multiple chronic conditions.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100615/NCOALOGO)

Chronic diseases account for 75% of our nation's health care costs, with nearly half of all older adults living with one or more chronic health conditions, and two-thirds having two or more.

The Sanofi grant will support two major NCOA initiatives. The first is NCOA's Self-Management Alliance (SMA)—a "collective impact" initiative that brings together businesses, nonprofits, and government agencies to work toward the common goal of making self- management an integral part of health care in the United States by 2020.

"The goal of the SMA is to assure that individuals with chronic conditions have the education and support they need to manage their health and achieve the best possible quality of life," said Richard Birkel, senior vice president of healthy aging at NCOA."This grant helps us develop an evaluation framework to best measure our progress toward this goal and to align the individual efforts of multiple partners to assure accountability in our joint efforts."

In addition, the grant will help NCOA expand its online support for adults with diabetes by increasing understanding of how to encourage and empower people with diabetes to take action toward better self-management.

"We're pleased to support NCOA and these self-management initiatives that are aimed at helping seniors with chronic conditions, like diabetes, by providing tools and resources to better manage their health," said Angela Moskow, vice president, Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Wellness at Sanofi US. "As a health care solutions company, we continue to seek out innovative approaches, like self-care management, which focuses on improved outcomes for people living with chronic health conditions."

NCOA will expand its self-management website, RestartLiving.org, by adding a section devoted to diabetes, and include limited access to the Stanford online diabetes self-management program, Better Choices, Better Health® – Diabetes (BCBH- Diabetes). The workshop is designed to meet the unique self-management support needs of individuals with diabetes. Randomized trials have shown that the workshop is effective in reducing hemoglobin A1c in adults with type 2 diabetes.

"We know that BCBH-Diabetes improves health and that about 65% of the people who start the online workshops complete them. Now we need to learn how to get more people to take advantage of these effective online programs," said Jay Greenberg, senior vice president of online consumer services at NCOA. "This grant will allow us to expand our knowledge about engaging patients online and incorporate those findings into our ongoing work with health care organizations, public health agencies, and the aging network."

"NCOA is grateful for this grant to further our mission. We salute Sanofi's vision, leadership and investment in innovations and eco-system changes to improve the quality of life for older adults and others with diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions," says James Firman, president & CEO of NCOA."

About NCOA  
The National Council on Aging is a nonprofit service and advocacy organization headquartered in Washington, DC. NCOA is a national voice for millions of older adults—especially those who are vulnerable and disadvantaged—and the community organizations that serve them. It brings together nonprofit organizations, businesses, and government to develop creative solutions that improve the lives of all older adults. NCOA works with thousands of organizations across the country to help seniors find jobs and benefits, improve their health, live independently, and remain active in their communities. For more information, please visit: www.ncoa.org |www.facebook.com/NCOAging | www.twitter.com/NCOAging.

SOURCE National Council on Aging