LIFTT Receives Grant From Usaging/ACL To Participate In Aging & Disability Vaccination Collaborative

Living Independently for Today & Tomorrow (LIFTT) is pleased to announce a grant received from the USAging/ Administration for Community Living (ACL), to help facilitate LIFTT’s participation in a new multi-organization collaborative to provide greater person-centered access to vaccines such as COVID-19 and flu to the aging and disabled community.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the fact that people with disabilities face a myriad of barriers in accessing the health care resources they desire to utilize including vaccines. We hope through this project to work with our partners as well as the individual consumers to tear down some of those barriers and get people the care they want,” said LIFTT executive director Carlos Ramalho.

“We are grateful to USAging/ACL for the opportunity and resources to engage in this vital work. The ability of anyone regardless of disability to live independently in the home and community of their choice begins with the ability to manage their healthcare as they choose.”

Through the Aging and Disability Vaccine Collaborative (ADVC), LIFTT will partner with public health agencies, clinics, providers, and community to further increase access to vaccines across the LIFTT’s 18 county service area in Southeastern & Southcentral Montana including Big Horn, Carbon, Carter, Custer, Dawson, Fallon, Garfield, Golden Valley, McCone, Musselshell, Powder River, Prairie, Richland, Stillwater, Wibaux, and Yellowstone counties.

While plans are still to be finalized activities to be undertaken as part of the ADVC project include hiring and training additional independent living specialists and community health workers, holding community vaccination clinics, facilitating transportation to vaccination sites, assisting with in-home vaccinations, and providing accurate and timely education and outreach to LIFTT consumers and the public in physically accessible and culturally competent formats. All these activities will be person-centered.

For more information about the ADVC and the other services LIFTT offers please visit http://www.liftt.org, download the LIFTT app for your Apple or Android mobile devices, or call LIFTT in Billings at 406-259-5181 or in Glendive at 406-948-8500.