Advocates

The peer-reviewed healthcare journal, Health Affairs, has dedicated its February issue to the topic of racism and health. Google and Twitter have flagged racism as "sensitive content" and are blocking Health Affairs' paid media advertisements to promote the content. This article by Becker's Hospital Review discusses censorship of racial and ethnic issues and explains why sharing facts about health disaparites is important on these digital platforms.

The National Senior Health & Fitness Day has two dates for 2022: Wednesday, May 25, 2022 and Wednesday, October 26, 2022. On these days, over 1,000 local groups will host health and wellness events for 100,000+ older adults across the country. Local organizations interested in hosting an event must register to legally use the National Senior Health & Fitness Day name and logo. Even registration opens next week and has a fee of $34.95 per location. National Senior Health & Fitness day is also hosting a theme contest to select a slogan for the upcoming events. Adults ages 50+ are welcome to submit theme ideas that are focused on the importance of physical activity for older adults.

This blog post explores how the aging network can leverage home and community based services to address needs and improve the quality of life for older adults with HIV/AIDS. The post explains what evidence-based programs are and provides examples of a few that can support this population, including Falls Prevention and Positive Self-Management programs. It also provides a list of trainings and resources to help better serve older adults with HIV/AIDS.

The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care has shared a podcast episode and fact sheet identifying abuse and neglect toward older adults in nursing home settings. Dr. Laura Mosqueda, a professor of Family Medicine and Geriatrics at the University of Southern California, defines neglect as the failure to provide necessary goods and services to a resident to avoid physical harm, pain, mental anguish, or emotional distress. This can include a lack of staff, supplies, services, or training that fail to meet residents' needs.

Many states are directing focus toward achieving racial health equity as a key priority within their Medicaid programs and managed care contracts. This blog post discusses the importance of equitable access to high-quality and comprehensive primary care and the structural and interpersonal racism that creates barriers within health systems. The post explores how states can advance more equitable primary care by building on the patient-centered medical home (PCMH) framework.

The National Paralysis Resource Center has launched a virtual support group program for people living with paralysis and their family members or caregivers. The support groups provide an opportunity for members to connect with eachother to gain support, insight, and guidance. The meetings are led by mental health professionals and welcome disucssion about any issues or concerns members are experiencing and topics they want to learn about. Two meetings are offered every month for people living with paraplegia, quadriplegia, and family members or caregivers.

In this blog post, Nancy Archibald, MHA, MBA, Associate Director of Integrated Care at CHCS, describes the state of Indiana's plan to launch Medicaid managed long-term services and supports in 2024. The state is receiving grant funding through Advancing Medicare & Medicaid Integration, an Arnold Ventures initiative developed in partnership with CHCS that assists states in filling resource gaps in designing and launching integrated care programs.

FEMA is seeking qualified individuals with expertise on the needs of people with disabilities and older adults for emergency preparedness, response, and recovery to serve on the agency’s National Advisory Council. Selected council members will guide future recommendations on topics including equity, climate, readiness and workforce. Applications are due on Thursday, March 31, 2022.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has launched the Community Connected Health Initiative, with the intention of integrating innovation, technology, and human connection to support communities in achieving better health. OSTP released a Request for Information (RFI) on Strengthening Community Health Through Technology. This RFI is open to all stakeholders and will likely remain open until March 31, 2022.

The National Alliance for Caregiving has published a 2021 national report, "Caregiving in a Diverse America: Beginning to Understand the Systemic Challenges Facing Family Caregivers," which was based on results of the Caregiving in the U.S. 2020 study. The report analyzes the experience of over 800 caregiver respondents of different socioeconomic background, sexual orientation, and gender. The report also includes additional literature on diverse caregiving and research recommendations.