An official website of the United States government
          Here’s how you know
        Here’s how you know**Official websites use .gov**A
              **.gov** website belongs to an official government
              organization in the United States.
        **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**A
              **lock** (
              Locked padlock icon) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Skip to contentSkip to navigation **Get help with up-to-date COVID-19 vaccines**ACL's Eldercare Locator and DIAL can connect you to tests and vaccines Announcements A - Z Browse For the Network Search
  Program and Policy AreasColumn 1 - Programs*** COVID-19 ***ACL A to Z: Programs, Networks, & Focus AreasOverviewAging and Disability NetworksAging and Disability Resource CentersAmericans with Disabilities Act National NetworkArea Agencies on AgingAssistive Technology NetworkCenters for Independent LivingProtection and Advocacy SystemsSenior Centers and Supportive Services for Older AdultsState Councils on Developmental DisabilitiesState Units on AgingUniversity Centers for Excellence in Developmental DisabilitiesAlzheimer’s Disease and DementiaConnecting People to ServicesAging and Disability Resource Centers Program/No Wrong Door SystemMedicare Improvements for Patients and Providers ActState Health Insurance Assistance ProgramConsumer Choice and ControlPerson-Centered PlanningSupported Decision MakingTransportation Research and Demonstration ProgramVeteran Directed Care ProgramData ProjectsEmpowering AdvocacyThe President’s Committee for People with Intellectual DisabilitiesEmploymentFor American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native HawaiiansHealth & WellnessBehavioral HealthBrain HealthChronic Disease Self-ManagementFalls PreventionHealth PromotionI Can Do It! (ICDI)HIV/AIDSNutritionOral HealthOpioid CrisisProgram Evaluations and ReportsProtecting Rights and Preventing AbuseElder Abuse PreventionElder Justice Coordinating CouncilHelp America Vote Act ProgramsLegal AssistanceLong-Term Care OmbudsmanFor People with DisabilitiesSenior Medicare PatrolSupporting Adult Protective ServicesResearch and DevelopmentAdvanced Rehabilitation Research and Training (ARRT) ProgramDisability and Rehabilitation Research ProgramField-Initiated Projects Program Rehabilitation ResearchModel Systems ProgramNIDILRR Annual ReportNIDILRR External EvaluationNIDILRR Performance and EvaluationRehabilitation Engineering Research Center ProgramRehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) ProgramSmall Business Innovation Research ProgramSwitzer Research Fellowship ProgramRetirement Planning and Pension SupportSupport to CaregiversLifespan Respite Care ProgramNational Family Caregiver Support ProgramRAISE Family Caregiving Advisory CouncilSupporting Grandparents Raising GrandchildrenSupport for People with Limb Loss, Paralysis and TBILimb Loss Resource CenterParalysis Resource CenterTraumatic Brain InjuryStrengthening the Aging and Disability NetworksAging and Disability Evidence-Based Programs and PracticesDiversity & Cultural CompetencyDuals Demonstration Ombudsman Program Technical AssistanceImproving Business PracticesImproving Quality of ServicesNational Resource CentersProjects of National SignificancePerson-Centered, Trauma-Informed ServiceSuccess StoriesVolunteer Opportunities and Civic EngagementGrantsColumn 1 - GrantsACL’s Grants ProcessApplying for GrantsApplication TipsHow to ApplyFunding OpportunitiesClosed OpportunitiesGrant LifecycleManaging a GrantData, Research & IssuesColumn 1 - AgingOverviewData and ResearchACL DataThe State of the States in Developmental DisabilitiesNIDILRR Publications and ResourcesProfile of Older AmericansIssue Briefings and Other ReadingNewsroomColumn 1 - NewsLatest NewsAnnouncementsACL BlogEvents and ObservancesSpeeches and TestimonyColumn 2 - NewsACL UpdatesReady-to-publish materialsACL LogosArticles, Infographics, and Fact SheetsVideosFor ReportersStory IdeasCommunicating with Older AdultsFOIAAbout ACLColumn 1 - About ACLAbout Community LivingAbout the Aging and Disability NetworksMission & VisionOrganizationOrganizational ChartLeadershipRegional OfficesHistoryBudgetPolicy and RegulationsPublic InputReports to Congress               and the PresidentColumn 2 - About ACLAuthorizing StatutesDevelopmental Disabilities ActOlder Americans ActWorkforce Innovation and Opportunity ActElder Justice ActHealth Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)Help America Vote ActMedicare Improvements for Patients & Providers ActPublic Health Service ActRehabilitation ActWorking at ACLContact Us
 Home
          Mobilizing and Empowering the Nation and Technology to Address Loneliness & social isolation (MENTAL) Health Innovation Challenge
          MENTAL Health Challenge Phase 1 Finalists and Winners MENTAL Health Challenge Phase 1 Finalists and Winners
 Program and Policy Areas
  

        - Left Nav -

    *** COVID-19 ***
                          ACL A to Z: Programs, Networks, & Focus Areas
                          Overview
                                
                
        Aging and Disability Networks
          
                                  Aging and Disability Resource Centers
                          Americans with Disabilities Act National Network
                          Area Agencies on Aging
                          Assistive Technology Network
                          Centers for Independent Living
                          Protection and Advocacy Systems
                          Senior Centers and Supportive Services for Older Adults
                          State Councils on Developmental Disabilities
                          State Units on Aging
                          University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
                                Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia
                                
                
        Connecting People to Services
          
                                  Aging and Disability Resource Centers Program/No Wrong Door System
                          Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act
                          State Health Insurance Assistance Program
                                      
                
        Consumer Choice and Control
          
                                  Person-Centered Planning
                          Supported Decision Making
                          Transportation Research and Demonstration Program
                          Veteran Directed Care Program
                                Data Projects
                                
                
        Empowering Advocacy
          
                                  The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities
          
                                  President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities releases 2015 Report to the President
                                Employment
                          For American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians
                                
                
        Health & Wellness
          
                                  Behavioral Health
                          Brain Health
                          Chronic Disease Self-Management
                          Falls Prevention
                          Health Promotion
                          I Can Do It! (ICDI)
                          HIV/AIDS
                          Nutrition
                          Oral Health
                                Opioid Crisis
                          Program Evaluations and Reports
                                
                
        Protecting Rights and Preventing Abuse
          
                                  Elder Abuse Prevention
          
                                  Draft Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State APS Systems
                          Elder Abuse Prevention Intervention
                          Late Life Domestic Violence
                          National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS)
                          National Center on Elder Abuse (Title II)
                          National Elder Abuse Incidence Study (1998)
                          Prevention of Elder Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation (Title VII-A3)
                          State Grants to Enhance Adult Protective Services
                          The National Adult Protective Services Technical Assistance Resource Center
                                Elder Justice Coordinating Council
                          Help America Vote Act Programs
                          Legal Assistance
                                Long-Term Care Ombudsman
          
                                  LTC Ombudsman National and State Data
                                For People with Disabilities
                          Senior Medicare Patrol
                          Supporting Adult Protective Services
                                      
                
        Research and Development
          
                                  Advanced Rehabilitation Research and Training (ARRT) Program
                                Disability and Rehabilitation Research Program
          
                                  Knowledge Translation Program
                                Field-Initiated Projects Program Rehabilitation Research
                          Model Systems Program
                          NIDILRR Annual Report
                          NIDILRR External Evaluation
                          NIDILRR Performance and Evaluation
                          Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center Program
                          Rehabilitation Research and Training Center (RRTC) Program
                          Small Business Innovation Research Program
                          Switzer Research Fellowship Program
                                Retirement Planning and Pension Support
                                
                
        Support to Caregivers
          
                                  Lifespan Respite Care Program
                          National Family Caregiver Support Program
                          RAISE Family Caregiving Advisory Council
                          Supporting Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
                                      
                
        Support for People with Limb Loss, Paralysis and TBI
          
                                  Limb Loss Resource Center
                          Paralysis Resource Center
                          Traumatic Brain Injury
                                      
                
        Strengthening the Aging and Disability Networks
          
                                  Aging and Disability Evidence-Based Programs and Practices
                          Diversity & Cultural Competency
                          Duals Demonstration Ombudsman Program Technical Assistance
                          Improving Business Practices
                          Improving Quality of Services
                          National Resource Centers
                          Projects of National Significance
                          Person-Centered, Trauma-Informed Service
                                Success Stories
                          Volunteer Opportunities and Civic Engagement Congratulations to the Phase 1 winners and finalists!
Thirty eight proposals were scored individually by multiple judges, and the eight with the highest scores were invited to present their solutions to a panel of judges and answer questions. All eight proposed solutions that are fully accessible and which can be used on both desktop and mobile devices, and most employed cloud-based technology. From those eight,**No Wrong Door Virginia’s Social Health Connector** and**United Way Worldwide’s You Connect** were selected to advance to the second phase of the competition. Each was awarded $75,000 to support continued development and testing of their solution as they compete for a grand prize of $450,000 and a second prize of $150,000.  The winning system will be announced and demonstrated in January 2021 at CES, an annual trade show produced by the Consumer Technology Association.
The winning solutions and finalists are as follows.  (Project descriptions were extracted from materials submitted for the competition; ACL and OASH do not endorse the organizations or solutions.)
Winner: Social Health Connector 
Team Lead: Sara Link, No Wrong Door Virginia, Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services
Partners: Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology, VirginiaNavigator, Andrew Kim (developer)
The Social Health Connector proposed by the No Wrong Door Virginia team aims to engage people in a reflective, person-centered virtual conversation about the benefits of social connections and how resources and technology can help to maintain or improve health.  The tool aggregates information from databases operated by the team partners and other vetted sources about devices, electronic applications and services that can help users connect and engage. Visitors can browse all available resources or complete a short, but comprehensive, assessment of their social health to receive personalized answers, options, and resources based on their individual responses and preferences. The individual then selects from those suggestions (and can add others they find through browsing) to create their own social connection plan.  The assessment can be completed in a text-based format, or through a video tutorial. Conditional logic is used to further personalize the experience. For example, if a user responds that they do not feel safe in their primary relationships, the tool offers immediate suggestions and resources for support. Visitors have the option to enroll in programs directly from the site, and consumer reviews of resources are incorporated. The project builds upon several existing resources including No Wrong Door Virginia, VirginiaNavigator, EldercareLocator, and 2-1-1.
Winner: YouConnect
Team Lead: Matthew Aliberti, United Way Worldwide
Partners: UpPurpose
YouConnect is a digital matchmaking tool that leverages the 211 network’s comprehensive nationwide database of human and social services and resources as well as United Way’s presence in more than 1,100 U.S. communities to provide opportunities for people to engage and connect in healthy ways in their communities. Social engagement tools, as well as social services and other resources, will be accessible via the national 211 database. The user interface and matching process will build on technology being developed by United Way to engage millions of volunteers and donors. Based on information entered by the user, the tool will use artificial intelligence to identify and match appropriate services and engagement opportunities. The brief assessment also will screen for risks, like depression, and can route the individual to a more in-depth screening and additional support if necessary. The user can exit the profile-creation step at any point to browse resources or to get immediate help from local 211 specialists who are available 24/7 nationwide.
Finalist: CaringWire
Team Lead: Michael Sentz, CaringWire
Partners: City of Dublin (OH), Columbus Federation of Settlements, Jewish Family Services, Syntero, The Ohio State University East Federally Qualified Health Center. and United Church Homes,
CaringWire matches individuals and caregivers with supportive social services to address isolation, social determinants of health, and activities of daily living. Based on information collected through the site’s evidence-based assessment tool, CaringWire provides users with a tailored care plan populated  with unbiased information about options available in their area to meet their individual needs, including location, contact information, user reviews, services offered, and fee structures. The assessment appraises stress, physical, mental, and social health needs. Users can update their information at any time as their needs change, and share their information with family and providers to create a single hub of coordinated care. In addition, CaringWire periodically conducts check-in assessments to monitor changing needs over time. CaringWire’s national resource database is updated monthly and through continuous user feedback, and currently includes more than 90,000 validated technologies, community-based programs and social engagement products.
Finalist: MIMI-RxTM Resource and Referral Solution
Team Lead: Stanley Campbell, EagleForce Health, Inc
Partners: Maryland Living Well Center of Excellence and Partners in Care Foundation
The Medications and Immunizations Management Initiative (MIMI-RxTM) Resource and Referral Solution (RRS) is a consumer-facing, HIPAA-compliant, HITECH secure web and mobile platform for telehealth and remote patient monitoring. It connects consumers to providers of health care, social services and other resources through a single entry point and EagleForce Health can provide devices to support that connection and enable the individual to share their information with all providers. The team incorporated computer-assisted assessments and screening strategies, such as the Upstream Social Isolation Risk Screener (U-SIRS), to increase the platform’s ability to screen older adults for loneliness and social isolation risk in community and/or clinical settings. U-SIRS uses a nationally validated algorithm to assess an individual’s connectivity and interaction with others and guide the individual to local resources that best fit those needs. Additional assessment tools embedded in the platform screen for other clinical and social needs, and MIMI-RxTM can include resources to address them in the suggestions it provides.  In addition, MIMI-Rx offers users the option of connecting to both the assessment and directory of resources through a phone call or text message.
Finalist: ENGAGE: ENGaging while AGing Everywhere
Team Lead: Avi Price, Uniper Care, Inc. and Brad Karlin, Solutions for Mental Health Change, PLLC
Partners: Three Area Agencies on Aging: AgeOptions (suburban Cook County, IL), The Alliance for Aging (Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, FL), and the Areawide Council on Aging, Inc of Broward County (FL);  California State University, Long Beach; Los Angeles County Alliance for Community Health and Aging
Team ENGAGE’s solution builds upon existing technologies and resources developed by primary collaborator, Uniper Care. ENGAGE incorporates a graphics-rich design approach to improve usability, particularly for users with less digital or language literacy or who may be overwhelmed by more traditional approaches to information provision. For example, the interface will include the use of an avatar guide to assist users with navigating through the site. ENGAGE’s assessment tool was built using the De Jong Gierveld 6-Item Loneliness Scale, which not only screens for social isolation and loneliness, but also screens for underlying causes to better tailor suggestions and prioritize resource options that that offer the greatest utility and likelihood of use. That information about user needs will be combined with information about user goals and interests to provide personalized feedback that includes information about the user’s individual factors that contribute to loneliness and isolation, as well as resources and actions to address them. In addition to receiving customized suggestions, users also will be able to see the broader list of resources, which include Uniper Care’s virtual and interactive social activities.
Finalist: LeadingAge CAST CASES Tool
Team Lead: Majd Alwan, LeadingAge Center for Aging Services Technology
Partners: Connecticut's No Wrong Door system: Connecticut  Statewide Aging & Disability Resource Center
LeadingAge CAST CASES prototype expands the LeadingAge CAST’s Social Connectedness and Engagement Technologies portfolio, which was developed to help providers of services for older adults find, select and implement technology solutions that support social connectedness and social engagement. The CAST CASES prototype broadens the original tool, adding “no tech” and “low tech” options to the database of resources that users can find through the platform. It also provides a consumer-focused interface that allows users to indicate preferences, needs, and other individual information using a simple check-box system, with the options tailored for older adults, individuals with disabilities, veterans, and family caregivers. As the user adds criteria, successive filtering narrows the list of resources that may meet their needs.
Finalist: Senior Link (California)
Team Lead: Arthur Kajiyama, Senior Link
Partners: Optimal Aging Center, Photozig, Inc., St. Thomas of Canterbury Church,
The Senior Link web application facilitates volunteer outreach to seniors and connects older adults to resources they can use to engage and connect with others. Through Senior Link, coordinators create and manage groups of volunteers who are connected to individual older adults. The platform facilitates volunteer recruiting and training, as well as the process of matching volunteers to individual older adults, planning and scheduling calls between them, and tracking that interaction. Through Senior Link, volunteers can relay any needs for assistance they learn about in their calls, which creates a mechanism for connecting the older individual to resources to address them. The Senior Link web application also includes a Resource Portal that can match interests, needs, and capabilities of users to resources, such as services provided by Aging and Disability Resource Centers, state No Wrong Door systems, the Department Veteran Affairs, and other agencies, in addition to local activities, products, technology training, and video programming.
Finalist: Team televëda
Team Lead: Shruti Gurudanti, Televëda (AZ)
Partners: Ability360, Arizona Department of Health Services (Prevention Services), Arizona Disabled Sports, Arizona Spinal Cord Injury Association, Arizona State University (Evaluation), Civitan Foundation, Daring Adventures, Differently Abled Mothers Empowerment Society, Duet, Inc., Foundation for Senior Living, Mikey’s League, The Miracle League of Arizona, No Wrong Door Arizona, Paralyzed Veterans of America (AZ Chapter)
We’re MOVING FORWARD!
televëda offers accessible classes to help older adults and children with disabilities stay active and engaged. The classes are offered in interactive, live-streamed formats through a proprietary accessible video conferencing tool. For the MENTAL Health Challenge, Team televëda proposed to expand the scope of its existing online directory to include nationwide resources, broaden the program options with an online directory of in-person classes provided by local state agencies and other organizations, and offer resources to help organizations develop the capability to offer a hybrid of traditional and virtual programming to meet the needs of a larger audience. At scale, Team televëda’s solution would include a unified “lobby area” which aggregates all available programs (both in-person and online) offered nationwide, and would offer users dynamic and personalized recommendations based on their preferences.

                    *Last modified on 10/21/2020*
 Back to Top    What We Do and Why We Do It
ACL was created around the fundamental principle that all people, regardless of age or disability, should be able to live independently and fully participate fully in their communities. Learn more about community living.

FacebookYouTubeTwitter x logo  XLinkedInShare on Other PlatformsSite Support
  

        
      Home
                      Accessibility
                      Disclaimers
                      Contact Us
                      Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
                      Privacy Policy
                      Site Map
                      Viewers & Players
                      Vulnerability Disclosure PolicyOther ACL Sites
  

        
      Disability Assistance and Information Line
                      Eldercare Locator
                      ElderJustice.acl.gov
                      LongTermCare.gov
                      OlderIndians.govRelated Sites
  

        
      Grants.gov
                      HHS.gov
                      No Fear Act
                      Plain Writing (on HHS.gov)
                      USA.gov
                      WhiteHouse.gov
                      Vote.govSign up for ACL updates
Receive important announcements, events, and resources via email.
Subscribe
    An official website of the Administration for Community Living, an operating division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.