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International Community Health Services (2020) Print
2020 AARP Community Challenge Grantee
Project Category
Community Health and Economic Empowerment
└ Access to health care services
└ Access to health care services
Working in the Beacon Hill area of Seattle, International Community Health Services launched a multilingual educational campaign to increase the awareness of online telehealth services in underserved immigrant communities, chiefly the local Asian American Pacific Islander population. The organization credits the effort with helping to increase rates of telehealth visits, vaccinations and awareness about medical resources.
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Waite Park, MN
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Access to health care services
Description: Older adults in Minnesota often struggle to access mobility equipment and inclusive activities, limiting independence and safety. To address this, ConnectAbility launched a mobile Donated Equipment Program by refurbishing a trailer and hosting pop-up events that distributed walkers, wheelchairs and other aids. Volunteers also built a raised accessible garden to showcase adaptive gardening solutions and assistive tools. The project expanded access, inspired similar home gardens and sparked requests for technology seminars. One participant said the mobile program "brought relief and peace of mind" after her mother finally received a walker, reducing fall risks and restoring independence.
Summerton, SC
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2021
Project Category: Access to health care services
Description: Many lower-income families in Summerton struggled to access affordable health care services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project continued a multi-year effort to convert shipping containers into mobile health clinics. The Town of Summerton partnered with SC Community Uplift to launch the Cross My Heart Free Mobile Clinic. Staffed by volunteers from local medical offices, hospitals and nursing training programs, the initiative will offer screenings, vaccines and primary care services to local families and seasonal farm workers. Organizers say the project will also offer hands-on experience to student nurses.
Sioux Falls, SD
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2024
Project Category: Access to health care services
Description: Older adults in rural South Dakota often lack access to medical equipment, leaving many isolated and unable to recover safely. Owen's Outfitters, a free lending library, converted a donated wheelchair-accessible bus into a mobile unit with shelving and storage to deliver supplies statewide. Outreach has already doubled the number of clients served and boosted older adult participation. Partnerships with health agencies and retirement communities will help the service deliver heavy equipment directly to those who cannot travel, restoring independence for residents who need it most.
Nearby AARP Community Challenge Projects
Seattle, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2023
Project Category: Innovative home maintenance, repair and support services
Description: Rising home costs and unaffordable repairs left many older adults at risk of losing their homes. Habitat SKKC expanded its aging-in-place services through the CAPABLE program, combining home safety modifications with in-home support from an occupational therapist and nurse. Six homeowners received tailored plans and repairs, from grab bars to handrails, improving safety and independence. The program helps older adults remain in their homes for years, reducing health care costs and preserving community stability while scaling to serve more households.
Seattle, WA
AARP Community Challenge Grant Year: 2017
Project Category: Engaging residents alongside thought leaders in problem solving
Description: Seattle's city government invited technology specialists, designers and older adults to take part in a weekend hackathon. Participants brainstormed ways to use public data and technology to understand the built environment and improve the lives of Seattle's older adult residents. The City offered cash prizes to teams with winning ideas. Team Pandora for Streets took home the top prize for their map that used unusual crowdsourced data to evaluate the urban environment, such as street-level smells and noises. Other winning projects used crowdsourced bus stop data to evaluate accessibility and visualized needed repairs to Seattle's sidewalk network. Part of the Age-Friendly Seattle initiative, the civic hackathon reflects Seattle's commitment to becoming a livable community for people of all ages and abilities, Candice Faber, the city's civic technology advocate, said.
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