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ROCKEFELLER FIGHTS FOR HIGH-QUALITY HEALTH CARE SERVICES FOR WEST VIRGINIA’S SENIORS

-- $500,000 CAMC Grant Will Start One of the First PACE Programs in Rural America-

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senator Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) announced today that the Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) is receiving a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to begin a comprehensive long-term care program for seniors in four rural West Virginia counties – Jackson, Fayette, Roane, and Raleigh.  

The CAMC program -- modeled on the national Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) -- is one of the first of its kind in any rural area in the United States. Since its inception in 1997, PACE has served only urban areas. But in 2005, Senator Rockefeller fought for legislation to bring the PACE model to West Virginia and to other rural communities throughout the country.  After the legislation passed, Rockefeller supported CAMC’s application for the grant.  

“The PACE Center is a tremendous win for seniors in south central West Virginia and around the state,” said Rockefeller.  “Seniors in rural areas should have the same access to comprehensive care options that seniors in urban areas do.  PACE will enable our seniors to remain at home and in their communities.  

“David Ramsey and the CAMC staff have had extraordinary vision and shown dogged determination in bringing the first rural PACE program to the Mountain State.”  

The Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) is a benefit authorized by the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA) that features a comprehensive service delivery system and integrated Medicare and Medicaid financing. The PACE model has a strong history of providing quality care to older Americans with chronic care needs through the integration of medical and social services. The comprehensive service package permits participants to continue living at home while receiving services, rather than being institutionalized.  Participants must be at least 55 years old, live in the PACE service area, and be certified as eligible for nursing home care by the appropriate state agency. 

Rockefeller won extension of PACE to rural areas as part of the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act. 

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