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The Senior Support Program of the Tri-Valley is scrambling to save its free preventative health screenings after recently being informed that federal funding administered through Alameda County won’t be available for the local program anymore due to federal budget cuts, according to the Pleasanton nonprofit’s executive director.
The three-decade-old program helped nearly 900 seniors receive preventative health screenings from registered nurses across the Tri-Valley last year. But it now looks like ongoing federal funding for the program will be eliminated as of July 1, according to Senior Support executive director Robert Taylor.
“The sudden loss of this program would have an especially negative impact on lower-income seniors and those struggling to maintain independence in the face of mobility and/or health challenges,” Taylor said in a statement.
“We are currently seeking new funding partners, community and individual support. We are hoping to raise the $60,000 required to keep this vital program available to seniors in need,” he added.
The free screening program offers services such as blood pressure checks, diabetes and hearing tests, medication management and foot care. It is mobile in nature, able to visit seniors in need at central locations such as senior centers, senior residential complexes and mobile home parks.
Last year, Senior Support’s registered nurses made 1,765 visits to serve 893 seniors at 13 locations across the Tri-Valley, according to Taylor. The nonprofit is now working to find new funding to help keep the program alive in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
To learn more about the health screenings, or to donate, visit www.ssptv.org/donate or call 931-5379.
