The John A. Hartford Foundation, an organization that was established in 1929 by its namesake and his brother, George L. Hartford, recently awarded the Geronotological Society of America (GSA) a three-year, $1.35 million grant to help ensure older adults have access to the care they need throughout the rest of their lives. 

There is currently a shortage of licensed social workers who have specialties in gerontology, a gap the Hartford Geriatric Social Work Initiative (HGSWI) aims to close through the establishment of the Hartford/GSA National Center on Geronotological Social Work Excellence. This will include training opportunities for social work research leaders and encourage those with specialized skills to advance their knowledge of practice and policy. 

Through this round of funding, the HGSWI also plans to promote specialization in the field by establishing programs at five universities that will be called the "Hartford Academic Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Social Work." 

"The grant builds on our many successes over the last 13 years and gives us an opportunity to shift our attention to better infusing social work health care practice with evidence-based knowledge," said GSA Deputy Executive Director Linda Harootyan.

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