Expanding the Fuqua Center’s Outreach to Seniors with Late-Life Depression
Depression in the elderly is a significant health concern. While statistics vary, symptoms are thought to occur in 15 percent of the elderly population. The Fuqua Center for Late-Life Depression is an important resource within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine. 
Established in 1999, the Center has two primary missions: improving older persons' access to state-of-the-art treatment for depression; and increasing public awareness and understanding of the disorder. Support from the Jesse Parker Williams Foundation allows the center to provide on-site geriatric psychiatric clinics in 12 low-income housing facilities in Atlanta with a goal of adding four more. The aim is to improve the quality of psychiatric care coordinated with primary medical for elderly female patients. The grant supports a nurse practitioner who provides on-site psychiatric evaluation and treatment, and assists in coordinating medical and social services. Though frequently not covered by insurance, such services are imperative if individuals are to recover from their illness and live independently.