Daquarii J. Rock, Grants Manager

Overview

About Project ACCESS How we got started

• Need?• Developed a plan• Pulling resources

Some challenges Our successes Some effective strategies

• Lessons learned Collaborative

partnerships• Accountability

Sustainability Planning

Project ACCESS Funded by HRSA in

2006• Rural Health Care

Outreach Services Program grant

Seniors (60+) Latah County, ID &

Whitman County, WA• 23 towns (clusters)

3 Area Hospitals 2 Agencies on Aging

Project Focus Transportation Community

Education The Gatekeeper

Program Caregiver Support

How we got started

Who shows a need? Where is the need? Who else has assessed the need in the past?

• Surveys • Focus groups (professionals)• Straw polls

How have others addressed this need in the past? • What worked?• What didn’t?

How can you met this need? Who else in the community is vested in the idea?

• Resources• Partnerships

Working together?

Washington• Pullman Regional Hospital• Whitman Hospital &

Medical Center• Council on Aging &

Human Services (COAST Transportation)

• Washington State University

• Whitman County Libraries• State office of Rural

Health Policy

Idaho• Gritman Medical Center • Area Agency on Aging

(Region II)• University of Idaho• Latah County Libraries• State Office of Rural

Health Policy

Inland Northwest Alzheimer’s Association Western Interstate Commission for Higher

Education (WICHE)

Success! Caregiver Support Groups

13 communities Community buy-in

Transportation 29 Volunteer drivers 1078 miles Matched funds

The Gatekeeper Program All towns trained Community buy-in

Education 340 books and DVDs 36 Dementia Education classes

• Recorded and distributed

Challenges

Rural Culture• Federal dollars

• Federal Anything! Duplication of

services Working together

• History• Healthy

Competition

Community specific needs

Snow! Harvest Season

Working as a collaboration

Make things clear to the group What is our structure? What are our responsibilities? What authority do we have? What other authorities have an interest

(or a “say”) in what we are doing? How do we acknowledge and respect the

restrictions of others in our group? Logistics

What, when, where, who

Accountability

Monthly Palouse Alliance meetings Check-in Concerns Decisions to be made

Bi-weekly “team meetings” Specifics for the team

Work collaboratively* Decision making

Formal Memorandum of Agreement Clear, concise, specific

Healthy Competition

Effective Strategies

Sometimes “the vision” changes to meet the need

Competition can help Egos like to be rubbed

“Social skills” Sometimes people just don’t want to play “It’s not what you know…”

Peer pressure can be a good thing Who do you know?

It takes time, effort, & energy Celebrate success

Program Evaluation

Outcome Evaluation Numbers

• How Many? Process Evaluation

Narrative• Adjustments?• Lessons?

Presented to the group annually

Chris Oakley, Washington State University, Department of Sociology 208-885-4210

Dierdre Rogers, University of Idaho, Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Justice Studies 509-335-5031

Contact Information

Daquarii Rock, Grant Manageraccessonthepalouse@gmail.com

Project ACCESS225 E. Palouse River Rd.Moscow, ID 83843208-883-6486

www.accessonthepalouse.org

Questions?