September 2022: PACE Month

WHEREAS, the elderly population in Michigan is growing rapidly, with a significant impact on health care costs; and,

WHEREAS, PACE (Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) is a fully integrated, comprehensive model of care that allows older adults who qualify for a nursing home level of care to continue living in the community; and,

WHEREAS, individuals enrolled in PACE receive all Medicare- and Medicaid-covered items and services, as well as additional supports that promote well-being and greater independence; and,

WHEREAS, PACE programs assume full financial risk for all medical care and related services–including transportation, hospitalization and long-term care–in return for capitated payments from Medicare and Medicaid, thereby controlling costs for the state; and,

WHEREAS, PACE is a model for managed care, having demonstrated improved health outcomes and greater satisfaction for its participants; and,

WHEREAS, as part of my administration’s consistent investments in services for seniors, we have invested over $20 million in PACE; and,

WHEREAS, 2022 is the 51^st anniversary of On Lok, the San Francisco-based organization that developed the PACE model of care to meet the needs of seniors while maintaining their ability to live in the community, and worked to ensure others in the nation had access to the PACE model of care;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim September 2022 as PACE Month in Michigan.