FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact:Moya Benoit
Thursday, Feb. 15, 2001Thompson
Chris Rhatigan
(202) 401-4541


HHS LAUNCHES NATIONAL FAMILY CAREGIVER PROGRAM

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today approved the release of $113 million in grants to states under the new National Family Caregiver Support Program, which helps family members provide care for the elderly at home.

Secretary Thompson said the grants will be used by states to run programs that provide critical support, including home and community-based services, to help families maintain their caregiver roles. It is the largest new support program under the Older Americans Act since 1972, when Congress established nutritional programs to serve the elderly.

"We must do all we can to ensure that our older residents can remain at home and receive care from loved ones for as long as possible," Secretary Thompson said. "This money will allow states to develop systems of support to ease the burden on hundreds of thousands of family caregivers nationwide."

In November 2000, Congress created the new caregiver program as part of the Older Americans Act Amendments of 2000. The principal component of the program consists of grants to states distributed through a congressionally mandated formula. Other components include innovative competitive grants and a new Native American caregiver support program. Information about these components will be announced in the near future.

In January, the department's Administration on Aging (AoA) issued comprehensive program guidance to states and has been providing technical assistance as states provide needed information for the grant program. AoA's Web site includes a description of the program and a list of frequently asked questions about the Older Americans Act and the new caregiver program (http://www.aoa.gov).

"States will work closely with their local area agencies on aging and other service providers in the community to put into place program services," said Norman L. Thompson, acting principal deputy assistant secretary for aging. "Among those services are information and assistance, training, counseling and support, and respite opportunities to allow caregivers to take short breaks from their often stressful daily caregiving responsibilities."

A list of state and territorial allocations under the grant program is below.

Alabama$1,739,242Nevada$ 603,803
Alaska564,300New Hampshire564,300
Arizona1,956,318New Jersey3,496,629
Arkansas1,125,177New Mexico594,433
California11,359,851New York7,612,334
Colorado1,245,978North Carolina2,916,628
Connecticut1,509,874North Dakota564,300
Delaware564,300Ohio4,739,721
District of Columbia564,300Oklahoma1,388,901
Florida8,721,584Oregon1,396,517
Georgia2,305,333Pennsylvania6,097,763
Hawaii564,300Rhode Island564,300
Idaho564,300South Carolina1,421,896
Illinois4,732,281South Dakota564,300
Indiana2,331,599Tennessee2,083,754
Iowa1,391,731Texas6,147,379
Kansas1,139,251Utah573,563
Kentucky1,516,043Vermont564,300
Louisiana1,535,025Virginia2,354,500
Maine564,300Washington2,083,944
Maryland1,843,229West Virginia854,259
Massachusetts2,766,510Wisconsin2,203,655
Michigan3,848,418Wyoming564,300
Minnesota1,875,522American Samoa70,538
Mississippi1,031,878Guam282,150
Missouri2,337,876Northern Marianas70,538
Montana564,300Puerto Rico1,203,867
Nebraska732,458Virgin Islands282,150

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Note: All HHS press releases, fact sheets and other press materials are available at http://www.hhs.gov/news.

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