The Weinberg Foundation would like to recognize one of its grantees, Aging Care Connections (ACC), the representative of the six-member Illinois Transitional Care Consortium (ITCC) and its project, the Bridge Model.  ITCC, through the Bridge Model, seeks to prevent older adult hospitalization and keep those who have been hospitalized from being readmitted.  The Bridge Model originated with six community based care providers who allied with five hospitals in urban, suburban, and rural locations throughout Illinois.  Just two years after it began the Bridge Model has served 3886 older adults, almost twice its goal.

In its short project life the Bridge Model has become a valuable and life changing resource to its older adult participants and their families vastly improving the transition experience from hospital to home.

Some of Bridge’s successes include:

• Decreased time between discharge and start of services from 14 days to 2 days
•  Reduced re-hospitalizations to a rate of 14% compared to the national Medicare rate of 19.6%
•  Increased communication between medical and social service providers

The Bridge Model has drawn significant and unexpected local and national attention.  The U.S. Administration on Aging (AOA) has designated the Bridge Model as one of only five recommended approaches to readmission prevention and one of only six transitional care models in the country.  The Illinois Hospital Association in partnership with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois has endorsed the Bridge Model as one of three transitional care models to be implemented in Illinois hospitals.  Bridge is being replicated by 10 sites in Illinois as well as Philadelphia, other sites in Pennsylvania, and Brunswick, Georgia.   An additional 10 Illinois hospitals and 20 out-of-state agencies are working with ITCC to replicate the Bridge Model. The Bridge Model is well on its way to forever changing the lives of older adults and caregivers for the better.