HANYS/Rush Western New York Caring for Caregivers Pilot Project

With generous support from the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York, HANYS is launching the Western New York Caring for Caregivers pilot project in collaboration with Rush University Medical Center. The project will help two care settings build on their adoption of Age-Friendly care by launching a support program for caregivers of older adults.

Applications from interested care settings are due by 5 p.m. on June 20.

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The C4C model

The C4C model is based on the “4Ms” of an Age-Friendly Health System and assists with compliance with the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act. C4C supports caregivers in identifying What Matters to them and their care recipient, provides a mechanism for locating needed assistance and expands the care team to include those people and services that work best for everyone involved. The goal of C4C is to offer services that aim to reduce caregiver stress, prevent caregiver burnout, and assist caregivers in finding a balance between their own needs and those of their care recipient.

Under the guidance of the Rush and HANYS team, care settings will receive training and support to develop workflows for identifying, screening and referring caregivers to services that help prevent burnout and other negative outcomes. Participating teams will implement the C4C model in a pilot unit or site. Outreach, screening and referrals for caregivers may be delivered in person, by telephone or via videoconference.

Funding

Pilot sites will receive a $25,000 stipend directly from Rush under a separate agreement to support this important work.

Eligibility

To participate in the regional pilot, sites must:

be physically located in the Western New York region;
demonstrate their commitment to delivering Age-Friendly care as evidenced by one or more of the following:
- achieved Level 2 Age-Friendly Health Systems recognition from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement;
- achieved accreditation as a Geriatric Emergency Department from the American College of Emergency Physicians; and/or
- participate in the CMS Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) model; and
identify a project lead and clinical (physician or nurse practitioner), information technology and age-friendly champions.

Applications

Interested care settings must submit an application by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 20. Award determinations will be issued by 5 p.m. on Friday, June 27.

Benefits of participation

If selected, C4C pilot participants will receive:

eight hours of initial training and orientation from Rush faculty experts;
monthly virtual learning community sessions hosted by Rush clinical experts;
an onsite visit from HANYS staff to assess current practices and develop workflows;
guidance from Rush on accessing available Medicare reimbursement for caregiver assessments and referrals; and
connections to area offices for the aging, Social Care Networks, local AARP chapters, the Alzheimer’s Association and other community-based organizations, as applicable, that can support caregivers of older adults.

Timeline

The 12-month WNY C4C pilot is set to begin in June 2725 and conclude in June 2726.

Recruitment (June 2725)
Applications (June 20, 2025)
Site selection (June 27, 2025)
Complete self-assessment and introductory call (July 2025)
Complete eight-hour orientation/training (July - September 2025)
Implementation period, including EMR enhancements, monthly virtual learning, quarterly meetings with HANYS (October 2025 - June 2726)
Site visit (before Dec. 31, 2025)
Submit data and reports to HANYS (December 2025 and June 2726)

Resources

Questions

Contact Christina Miller-Foster, senior director, Quality Advocacy, Research and Innovation, at cfoster@hanys.org or 518.431.7748.