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Extending the Reach and Momentum of High-Performing Models of Care

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New York, NY (October 28, 2025) — Affirming its commitment to supporting and scaling equitable, person-centered, and trustworthy models of care, The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation today announced grants in two of its signature programs: Hillman Innovation Dissemination (HID) and Hillman Innovations in Care (HIC). These programs are part of a critical pipeline of support that the foundation has created for nursing-driven projects at different phases of development –– from newly imagined, pre-evidence ideas to well-established solutions.

“At a time when achieving health is so difficult for so many, nursing is uniquely positioned to provide the innovative solutions we need,” said Ahrin Mishan, Executive Director of The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation. “When nurses design new and better ways of delivering care, we end up with interventions that people and communities actually want: programs that engender trust, promote health, alleviate suffering, and preserve human dignity.”

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HID: Expanding equitable access to post-assault care

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The Hillman Innovation Dissemination (HID) program aims to accelerate the spread of established interventions with proven outcomes. This year’s HID award of $200,000 will support the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination Telehealth (SAFE-T) System, which increases access to high-quality sexual assault care in rural areas and other underserved communities by using telehealth technology to integrate help from off-site Tele-Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (TeleSANEs) during care.

The SAFE-T System, which was recently honored by the American Academy of Nursing with the Edge Runner designation, has successfully partnered with several health systems in Pennsylvania and Idaho. This year's HID funding will help accelerate scaling efforts in new sites and states.

“Our patient-care model is evidence-based and trauma-informed, ensuring patients take their first step toward healing in a safe and supportive environment and that local providers are assisted in delivering quality care,” said Sheridan Miyamoto, PhD, FNP, RN, FAAN, Director and Principal Investigator of SAFE-T and Associate Professor in the Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing and the Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn State University. “We are deeply grateful for our continued collaboration with The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation, and our shared commitment to providing high-quality, dignified care to all people.”

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HIC: Deepening partnerships for growth

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The Hillman Innovations in Care (HIC) program supports evidence-based interventions that are poised for expansion. In 2025, the HIC program elected to invest additional support for a select group of existing Hillman grantees, rather than holding an open call for applications. The following projects will each receive $250,000 to amplify their impact.

The AC Care Alliance (ACCA) helps people with advanced illness and their families navigate healthcare through faith- and community-based support services. ACCA is at a pivotal moment with new contracts in place with health plans to serve Medicaid members through California’s new Enhanced Care Management (ECM) benefit. In this phase of work, ACCA will develop infrastructure, expand staffing, and establish operational practices to support this growth and expansion in services for California patients.

Principal Investigator: Cynthia Carter-Perrilliat, MPA, AC Care Alliance Collaborative
Parental acceptance plays a vital role in supporting adolescent mental health and family functioning when a young person comes out as LGBTQ+. Parents ASSIST is a communication intervention that provides parents with the practical knowledge they need to fully support their LGBTQ+ children. HIC funding will expand Parents ASSIST by enabling a randomized controlled trial to test the intervention's efficacy in equipping parents with inclusive health communication skills, empowering families to support and protect sexual and gender minority youth.

Principal Investigator: Dalmacio Flores, PhD, ACRN, FAAN, University of Pennsylvania
Incarcerated populations are rapidly aging, with rising rates of dementia and serious illness, but prisons have little capacity for palliative or end-of-life care. The Humane Prison Hospice Project (HPHP) trains incarcerated individuals to provide care and companionship to aging and dying peers. This funding will support HPHP's work with the Washington State Department of Corrections, assessing readiness for peer caregiving programs as part of a multidisciplinary care approach, and expanding into Oregon to implement a trauma-informed peer caregiver training program.

Principal Investigator: Lisa Deal, ScD, MSc, MPH, MN, BSN, Humane Prison Hospice Project
Declining support for social services threatens programs that provide essential care to mothers and their newborn children. With HIC funding, Community of Hope (COH) will continue to expand an innovative maternal health program that reimagines postpartum care by extending perinatal support to 18 months after birth. To advocate for broader systemic change, COH, in partnership with researchers at Georgetown University, will also cultivate a growing community of practice that fosters collective advocacy among researchers, clinicians, policy experts, and community members to advance equitable models of perinatal care.

Principal Investigators: Christina Marea, PhD, MA, MSN, FACNM, Georgetown University, and Ebony Marcelle, DNP, FACNM, Community of Hope

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‍About The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation

The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation advances bold, nursing-driven innovations that promote equitable, person-centered, and trustworthy care. It is committed to helping ignite and develop game-changing interventions and cultivating a vibrant ecosystem of nurse innovators, grantees, and partners dedicated to building a healthier future for all. For more information, please visit www.rahf.org.

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Media Contact
Takouhi Mosoian, The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation (press@rahf.org)

Privacy Notice

To help us in the evaluation and analysis of projects, all proposals, documents, communications, and associated materials submitted to The Rita and Alex Hillman Foundation (collectively, “Submission Materials”) will become the property of the Foundation and will be shared with other members of the Advisory Committee, Board of Directors, and other funding partners or potential funding partners. We will report publicly on the number of applications received.
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The proposals, in addition to analysis by our staff and consultants, may be subject to confidential external review by independent subject-matter experts, potential co-funders, and (for educational purposes only) participants in the Hillman Scholars Program for Nursing Innovation. Please carefully consider the information included in the Submission Materials. If you have any doubts about the wisdom of disclosure of confidential or proprietary information, we recommend you consult with legal counsel and take any steps you deem necessary to protect your intellectual property. You may wish to consider whether such information is critical for evaluating the submission, and whether more general, non-confidential information may be adequate as an alternative for these purposes.
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We respect confidential information we receive. Nonetheless, notwithstanding your characterization of any information as being confidential, we may publicly disclose all information contained in Submission Materials to the extent as may be required by law and as is necessary for potential co-funders and external reviewers to evaluate them and the manner and scope of potential funding, consistent with appropriate regulations and their internal guidelines and policies.