Rehabilitation Services of Northern California Awarded Grant from

SCAN Health Plan to Support Emergency Assistance for Seniors in Need

(PLEASANT HILL, CALIF. – June 23, 2011) — Rehabilitation Services of Northern California (RSNC) has been awarded a $15,000 grant from SCAN Health Plan to establish an emergency assistance fund. The money is to be used to provide one-time financial support to local seniors faced with unexpected expenses.

“Especially in these difficult financial times, money problems can interfere with seniors' ability to remain independent and in their own homes as they age,” said Lena Perelman, director of community outreach for SCAN, a senior-focused not-for-profit health plan. “With these emergency assistance funds, locally based organizations such as Rehabilitation Services of Northern California can work directly with seniors in their communities who are facing immediate challenges.”

The funds may be used to cover expenses such as: transportation; food assistance; respite; housing assistance; adult daycare programs; utility payments; adaptive devices, such as ramps, bath benches and grab bars; home repairs; or support for other basic necessities.

This is the second year in a row that SCAN has awarded emergency assistance grants. RSNC, which received funding from SCAN in 2010 and 2011, used some of last year's money to help out an elderly veteran after a hospitalization. “His houseboat had been ransacked and burglarized while he was in the hospital,” said Debbie Toth, chief program officer for RSNC. “We were able to fill his cupboards with food, replace his television and microwave, offer him assistance getting onto the boat, and arrange his tiny home to accommodate his needs."

RSNC's facilities serving Contra Costa County include Mt. Diablo Center in Pleasant Hill and the Bedford Center in Antioch, each offering adult day healthcare and other day services.

"We are honored to have our agency recognized by SCAN as worthy of carrying out this program," said Toth. "This is an incredible opportunity to serve our seniors in need."

For more than 30 years, SCAN Health Plan has been focusing on the unique needs of seniors and is now the country's fourth largest not-for-profit Medicare Advantage plan. SCAN's community-giving program is focused on helping to meet immediate needs – and assist with closing gaps – in community services. For more information, visit scanhealthplan.com.