Sustainability is concerned with ensuring that evidence-based programs are readily available and easily accessible to older adults over time. The goal of sustainability is to integrate and embed evidence-based programs within organizations so that they become a routine and integral component of organizational operations. Planning and sustainability of programs, by nature, involve effective leadership and participation of a variety of staff, partners, and other stakeholders. The prospects for sustainability are improved through careful attention to the other elements of offering evidence-based programs, i.e., planning, implementation, outreach and recruitment, and evaluation.

Resources to help with sustainability

• Roadmap to Community-Integrated Health Care
  This roadmap is designed to help aging, public health, and disability professionals make stronger linkages with the health care sector to achieve better health through better care with Chronic Disease Self-Management Education and other evidence-based programs. It provides an interactive journey with various routes that you can choose to get to the destination of community-integrated health care.
• Chronic Disease Self-Management Cost Calculator
  This cost calculator was developed to help organizations better understand and manage the costs of administering the Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). By entering your organization's costs and CDSMP program data, you can use the calculator to produce estimated "per participant" and "per workshop" costs, as well as evaluate the impact of individual components on your total expenses.

Best practice examples

• Massachusetts Healthy Living Center of Excellence Sustainability Plan
  This plan details how the Healthy Living Center of Excellence will efficiently implement evidence-based disease management programs in Massachusetts.
• Oregon's Living Well Business Plan
  This plan identifies an efficient, effective delivery and funding mechanism for bringing evidence-based programs to scale in Oregon.
• Massachusetts Toolkit: Formulating a Strategic Business Plan
  This toolkit is intended to aid organizations in the development of business plans necessary to secure further funding for evidence-based programs.
• Missouri Sustainability Toolkit
  This toolkit supports sustainability by exploring key planning areas and assisting self-management education providers with related strategies.