Vision and hearing care for older adults in Pittsburgh will soon see a boost. The Jewish Healthcare Foundation has bestowed a $90,000 grant to the Eye & Ear Foundation.
This will allow the Departments of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology at the University of Pittsburgh to engage a project manager. The goal will be to define community needs and determine the efficacy of changing from the traditional model of care in a center or office. New models of care delivery will utilize Community Health Workers, and include remote testing, technology, and telehealth applications.
“This grant has tremendous potential for making the most out of new technologies that bring diagnostics and even treatment into the home, the school, assisted living sites, nursing homes, and the community,” said Karen Wolk Feinstein, PhD, President, and CEO of the Jewish Healthcare Foundation. “It’s a bold vision: bring medical services to patients.”
“JHF has partnered with the Eye & Ear Foundation in the past, and we’ve never been disappointed,” she continued. “The Eye & Ear Foundation initiatives offer top talent with innovative ideas and fine execution. This is a formula for progress.”
Dr. Evan (Jake) Waxman, Director, UPMC Eye Center Mercy and the Comprehensive Eye Service, has helped oversee many of the Department’s community care initiatives. “Academia and industry have availed us of effective treatments for previously blinding eye diseases,” he said. “Despite this, people continue to lose visions from these conditions. The Without Bounds project will enable us to learn and implement the best ways to get treatments to people where they are.”