Gary Cook says his agency isn’t just about providing help to aging people.
Cook became the president and chief executive officer of Direction Home Akron-Canton Area Agency on Aging & Disabilities after Joseph L. Ruby retired Dec. 30 after 35 years as CEO.
Cook presented a brief overview of the agency to Summit County Council on Monday.
“The scope of our services is no longer just older adults,” Cook said. The agency now provides “pediatric to geriatric” services to Medicaid recipients and others who qualify, he said.
Direction Home Akron Canton is a private, nonprofit organization formed more than 40 years ago to help older adults and people with disabilities in Summit, Portage, Stark, Wayne and in 18 other Ohio counties. It provides such things as long-term care programs to help people remain in their homes, community-based settings, family caregiver support programs and more.
A top goal is to help people stay in their homes as long as possible before needing to be moved into a nursing home, Cook said. The services that help people stay in their homes are much less costly to the state than paying for a nursing home and also result in much happier clients, he said.
Cook was hired in 1992 at Direction Home Akron Canton after working for 10 years at Goodyear Aerospace/Loral Corp.
Prior to being promoted to CEO, Cook’s responsibilities included the development and oversight of new service areas and business lines at the agency.
Also Monday, council:
• Approved the county taking part in an opt-out natural gas aggregation program through the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council.
• Approved on a first reading spending up to $1,046,700 to purchase 770 Tenex Software Solutions Inc. electronic e-poll books for the board of elections, through the Ohio electronic poll book purchasing program.
• Adopted on a first reading a resolution declaring Summit County an “Autism Friendly” community, as defined by the Autism Center Greater Akron.
• Adopted on a first reading a resolution urging the Ohio General Assembly adopt a state budget that adequately compensates Summit County and other counties around the state for loss of revenue through the elimination of the Medicaid Managed Care Organization sales tax.
• Approved a resolution praising former long-time University of Akron men’s basketball coach Keith Dambrot. Dambrot was recently hired to coach the men’s basketball team at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh.
Jim Mackinnon can be reached at 330-996-3544 or jmackinnon@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow him @JimMackinnonABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/JimMackinnonABJ