LETTER FROM THE CEO

Our dedicated, passionate team successfully reinforced our prestigious position as the nation’s only accredited Area Agency.

Earning Council on Accreditation (COA) certification is not easy, but we are committed to maintaining that achievement as we have done continuously since 2006.

The intensive process requires submitting comprehensive support evidence, and a two day COA site visit to review documents and files. Additionally, in-depth interviews are conducted with management, staff, board members and clients.

Our most recent efforts produced outcomes including meeting best practices in Service Delivery Standards, Administration and Management Standards, and Program Standards. Every Area Agency program qualifying for accreditation received the certification: Benefits Assistance, DOVES®, ElderVention® Clinical, ElderVention® Prevention, Family Caregiver Support, HIV Care Directions®, MOSAIC®, Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and the 24-Hour Senior HELP LINE.

Accreditation pays dividends not just for our clients, who can be confident they are receiving quality services that have met best practice standards, but also for the Agency itself as it gives us deemed status with the Arizona Department of Health Services for our behavioral health program and makes a positive impact on grant and proposal submissions.

Achieving accreditation reflects the commitment and hard work of our incredible team of professionals, for which I am deeply grateful.

During the past year we also continued adapting to the COVID pandemic to ensure consistent and creative delivery of services and resources to meet our clients’ needs.

We were so successful with developing pandemic specific programs that we have added them to our roster of regular services. They include:

• elderTRIP - logged more than 20,000 rides to medical appointments using ride-share options;

• elderSHOP - door-to-door grocery shopping service doubled its client base;

• Operation HOPE - delivered more than 10,000 food boxes with fresh produce, meat, eggs and cheese;

• Goods2Home - with new funding from the City of Phoenix and in partnership with Attentive Home Health, added to our ability to provide household cleaning kits to senior housing sites;

• elderCONNECT - expanded access to technology for older adults with tablets from iN2L.

Replicating a successful model we have used for respite services since 2006, we started a new Friends & Neighbors Program as an innovative response for those waiting for homemaking services. This allows clients to choose their own worker and reimburse them, rather than having to rely on a contracted agency.

Looking forward to what we hope is a post-pandemic environment, we will be assessing the results of our every-four-year needs assessment and continue planning for improvements and expansion of services.

I am truly appreciative of your ongoing support for the great work being done in our community.

Sincerely,

Mary Lynn Kasunic President and CEO