Center for Better Aging

By Amanda Jepson | Categories: | Comments Off on Center for Better Aging

St. Bernard Hospital’s Center for Better Aging (CBA), in Chicago, delivers an integrated model of care focused on the physical, mental, and social health of adults aged 50 and older. These patients often face food insecurity, housing instability, social isolation, or financial stress. Services include primary and specialty care; a geriatric-certified emergency department; wellness and prevention programs; and attention to nonclinical needs like housing, nutrition, and transportation.

CBA partners with academic institutions and community groups to elevate specialty care and workforce training. Local organizations like Chicago Commons, SPARC Wellness, KemeticHlth, SMYL Fitness Rx, and others help with home care, coordination, fall prevention, mental health, and community wellness. The center also hosts health fairs, screenings, workshops, and other outreach events to engage aging adults, build trust, and reduce access barriers.

To ensure quality and continuous improvement, CBA tracks clinical outcomes, show rates for clinic visits, patient satisfaction, and engagement data from outreach. In 2024, the center logged over 1,000 primary care visits and a 71.9% show rate. The program’s leaders emphasize the importance of community-driven partnerships, workforce development in geriatrics, diverse funding streams, and creating welcoming environments as essential components for replicating their model.