About
Strategic Priorities
Meet the Team
Melissa Andrews
President & CEO
she/her
Dana Parsons
VP & Legislative Counsel
she/her
Betsy Archer
Grants Administrator
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Emily Varvil
Project Manager
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Tracey Lewis
Grants & Advocacy Coor.
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Amaya Daniel
MHA Student Intern
she/her
Federally Funded Initiatives
The PositiveAge team began proving our successful grant administration through a number of externally funded awards from state agencies to LeadingAge Virginia that support our members’ mission. With generous support from our partners, these funds help us improve the quality of life for nursing home residents, provide a new rung on the career ladder for certified nursing assistants and support adult day centers with uniform infection control policies. Through the association and the foundation, these grants and funded contracts are pushing us toward our vision of positive aging for each Virginian. Learn about each of these impactful projects:
Federally Funded Initiatives...
Advanced Certified Nurse Aide Toolkit
In 2019, LeadingAge Virginia was awarded $149,800 through the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS) with funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Civil Money Penalty (CMP) Reinvestment program. We used this opportunity to lead an innovative initiative to address the health care workforce shortage by creating an opportunity for certified nurse aides to become leaders in the aging services field.
Java Project
In 2021, LeadingAge Virginia received $356,640 from the Civil Monetary Penalties Reinvestment Fund (CMP) to administer a two-year program in partnership with Java Group Programs called the Java Project that aimed to improve the quality of life among residents in 30 Virginia-based nursing homes. This program focuses on building a positive change in culture in long term care communities with peer support and mentoring programs to engage residents in providing emotional support to their peers. The final results from the program indeed demonstrated a marked reduction in loneliness and isolation among residents, and an increase in happiness.
Opening Minds Through Art
In 2021, LeadingAge Virginia received $1,083,382 from the Civil Monetary Penalties Reinvestment Fund (CMP) to administer a three-year program called Opening Minds through Art (OMA) in partnership with Art for the Journey. This program provides social engagement and self-expression activities in 102 Virginia-based nursing homes. CMS-certified nursing homes throughout Virginia are eligible to participate in this program that aims to improve the quality of life of nursing home residents through art. To participate, please use the "contact us" link provided to submit an inquiry, and our team will connect with you directly.
Adult Day Infection Control
In 2021, LeadingAge Virginia received $308,417 from the Virginia Department of Health Office of Epidemiology's Virginia Long-Term Care Infrastructure Pilot Projects for a 2-year project to develop model infection prevention and control (IPC) policies for Virginia's licensed Adult Day Centers (ADCs). In partnership with Health Quality Innovators, the project team authored 13 model IPC policies and several other ready-to-use resources for ADC staff to update their existing efforts to protect participants from infections. Now in it's final year, the project team is working to assist ADCs with policy implementation by creating a dedicated webpage with all project resources, hosting monthly education specific to ADC team members, and creating and distributing model IPC policy notebooks to all licensed ADCs to customize and update their existing policies to reflect current best practices.
Impact
2023 Food Justice for Older Adults in the Richmond Region
funded by the Community Foundation of Greater Richmond to support advocacy for policies and/or legislation that will ease the impact of reduced Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits for older adults.
Valuing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Elders “Dreaming Home”
We are excited to share that LeadingAge Virginia, Westminster Canterbury of Richmond, Beth Sholom, Pinnacle Living, Brandermill Woods, and LifeSpire of Virginia sponsored a project in 2022 and 2023 to help elders across multiple demographics in greater Richmond, Virginia, to “dream of home.”
Our goal was to increase the understanding of the desires and values for home of different elder demographic populations. We also wanted to empower elders and their families with knowledge of senior housing options within and outside of greater Richmond. Learn More
RVA Voices for Older Adult Advocacy
Made possible through grants from the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation and the Bob and Anna Lou Schaberg Foundation, RVA Voices for Older Adult Advocacy will revolve around the collaboration of a diverse group of nonprofit organizations in the Richmond area to explore public policy and advocacy needs and desires.
Hospice & Palliative Care
Since its establishment in 1985, the Virginia Association for Hospices and Palliative Care (VAHPC) supported the tremendous growth of hospice and palliative care in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In 2022, their mission combined with LeadingAge Virginia to expand the world of possibilities for aging including advocating for quality care for all persons with life-limiting illnesses, promoting hospices and palliative care education and ethical practices, and serving as a united voice and resource. The VAHPC donation to PositiveAge promotes education, professional development, and public awareness of hospice and palliative care for both professionals and the public at large.
PositiveAge, a LeadingAge Virginia Foundation, is an emerging nonprofit focused on transforming the aging experience in Virginia by securing funds to build coalitions and develop innovative solutions to promote positive aging.
4201 Dominion Blvd
Suite 100
Glen Allen, Virginia 23060
(804) 965.5500
info@positiveage.org
