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HHS has named eight recipients for a $27.8 million, three-year initiative to prevent falls among older adults. The funding will support efforts to expand CDC’s STEADI program and the community-based Stepping On program; award amounts are subject to fund availability.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has named eight recipients of a $27.8 million, three-year initiative to reduce falls among older adults, including two organizations that provide or support home-based care. The awards are intended to expand fall-prevention programs and strengthen connections between health care providers and community organizations.
Each recipient is set to receive $1,940,162, subject to the availability of funds, according to HHS. The recipients are Health Research, Inc.; the Maryland Department of Health; CHPcommunity, Inc., doing business as Iowa Community HUB; AgeOptions, Inc.; Texas A&M University; Partners In Care Foundation; Central Maine Area Agency on Aging; and The Oasis Institute.
The funding will support three fall-prevention programs. It will expand the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths & Injuries (STEADI) program, which helps health care providers screen for, assess and address fall risk. It will also expand Stepping On, a community program designed to help older adults build strength and balance and address risks associated with falls. HHS said the funding also aims to help states and local organizations prevent falls.
Central Maine Area Agency on Aging provides adult day services and personal support through its Bridges program, as well as meals and caregiver support. Partners In Care Foundation offers care management, in-home assessments, care-transition assistance and community-based health programs. Their inclusion connects the awards to services delivered in or linked to older adults’ homes.
Funding Reaches Home-Based Care
Falls can lead to emergency care, hospitalization and disruption to an older person’s ability to live safely at home. The CDC estimates that falls among older adults result in about 4.5 million emergency department visits and 1.4 million hospitalizations each year. Those annual figures show the scale of the issue, though the announcement does not quantify how much the new initiative is expected to reduce either total.
For home and community-based care organizations, the awards could support work that identifies risks before a fall occurs and connects older adults with prevention services. The initiative’s approach combines health care screening through STEADI with community-based strength, balance and risk-reduction activities through Stepping On. HHS has not provided a projected number of people to be served or a specific target for preventing injuries.
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the investment is intended to reduce injuries and health care costs while helping older adults remain safely in their homes and communities. That is the department’s stated goal; the announcement does not provide an estimate of expected savings or evidence that the awards have already produced outcomes.
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Two Programs Anchor the Awards
The awards build on existing fall-prevention approaches rather than naming a single new intervention. STEADI focuses on clinical practice: providers screen patients, assess their risk and address factors that could contribute to a fall. Stepping On is community-based and includes activities intended to improve strength and balance while helping participants address fall-related risks.
Home care companies have also developed fall-prevention training and assessment models. Home Health Care News reported that Bayada Home Health Care launched its Enhanced Quality of Care Model in 2025 to assess clients’ risk of falls and other incidents. TheKey has described mandatory staff training on safe transfers and supporting clients at home. These company examples provide industry context, but they are separate from the HHS awards and are not listed as recipients.
The federal announcement names eight awardees and states the total funding and planned duration. It does not specify how the full funding will be divided among the three programs or detail each recipient’s individual activities.
Award Plans Need More Detail
HHS has not disclosed how much of the $27.8 million will go to each of the three programs, how recipients will divide their individual awards among activities, or how many older adults the initiative is expected to reach. The per-recipient figure is stated as subject to fund availability, so the final amount available to each organization may depend on that condition.
The announcement also does not set out outcome measures, a schedule for reporting results or a projected reduction in falls, emergency visits or hospitalizations. The awards’ confirmed purpose is to expand prevention efforts; their eventual reach and measurable effects remain unknown.
Recipients Begin Three-Year Work
The recipients are expected to use the funding over a three-year period to expand the supported prevention programs and help health care providers, community organizations, states and local groups coordinate their work. HHS has not released a detailed implementation calendar or recipient-by-recipient plans in the information available.
Further details to watch for include how the awards are allocated across STEADI, Stepping On and other supported activities, what communities will be served, and how progress will be measured. Those details will clarify the initiative’s reach and whether it meets HHS’s stated goals for fewer injuries and safer aging at home.
Key Questions
How much is HHS investing in the initiative?
HHS announced $27.8 million over three years for programs intended to reduce falls among older adults.
Who received the awards?
The eight recipients are Health Research, Inc.; the Maryland Department of Health; CHPcommunity, Inc. (Iowa Community HUB); AgeOptions, Inc.; Texas A&M University; Partners In Care Foundation; Central Maine Area Agency on Aging; and The Oasis Institute.
How much will each recipient receive?
HHS says each recipient will receive $1,940,162, subject to fund availability.
Which prevention programs will the awards expand?
The initiative will expand the CDC’s STEADI program, which helps health care providers address fall risk, and Stepping On, a community program focused on strength, balance and fall-related risks.
How many falls will the initiative prevent?
HHS has not provided a projection for how many falls, injuries or hospital visits the funding may prevent. The announcement describes the initiative’s goals but does not report expected outcomes.
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