New York State Department of Health and Office for the Aging Hold Town Hall Event In Harlem to Outline the Master Plan for Aging and Welcome Public Input

ALBANY, N.Y. (May 17, 2024) – The New York State Department of Health (DOH) and the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) continued their series of community engagement sessions on the State's Master Plan for Aging (MPA), with a Town Hall event today in Harlem in New York City.

During the session, which took place at the SAGE Center Harlem, attendees heard details about the MPA and were offered an opportunity to provide comments.

"Public input sessions continue to be a critical component of the process to create a Master Plan for Aging that helps us identify challenges and collaborate on solutions that address issues all New Yorkers encounter across their lifetime," State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said. "Governor Hochul's visionary roadmap will build on our partnerships with state agencies, local governments, and stakeholders to position New York as a leader in quality of life and care so all generations can live healthy, fulfilling lives while aging with dignity and independence."

Master Plan for Aging Vice Chair and Director of the New York State Office for the Aging Greg Olsen said, "New York State created the Master Plan for Aging to help older adults lead healthy, fulfilling, and independent lives for as long as possible. Public and stakeholder engagement is essential in creating equitable policies and services that will improve quality of life and quality of care across the age spectrum. We encourage everyone to participate in this process by attending our public engagement sessions and providing input."

Director of the Center for the Master Plan for Aging Andrew Lebwohl said, "Today's event in Harlem provided valuable feedback that will help ensure the Master Plan for Aging is accessible, transparent and responsive to the needs and expectations of older adults, caregivers, and individuals with disabilities. Public participation is essential to the process of building and adapting programs, services and systems for aging for all New Yorkers."

The MPA was initiated by Governor Hochul's Executive Order No. 23, which mandates a blueprint of strategies to ensure that all older New Yorkers have the opportunity to live fulfilling lives, in good health, with freedom, dignity, and independence to age in place for as long as possible. Improving the recruitment, retention, and training of long-term care workers is also a goal of the MPA.

New York is the first state to officially receive AARP's age-friendly designation. The MPA will build on that status by bringing together the expertise of roughly 20 state agencies, with input from stakeholders and experts from the around the State who have been working to identify and develop age-friendly initiatives and draft new proposals for consideration. Ultimately, the MPA will provide guidance for building healthy, livable communities that offer opportunities for older adults, with sustained attention on ensuring equity in aging and disability.

Input from a Master Plan for Aging Council of state agencies, a Stakeholder Advisory Committee of experts in the field of aging, and an Association Resource Committee is helping advance proposals and recommendations for consideration in the MPA. These deliberations will be informed by community input in the development of a final MPA report, due in 2025.

To learn more about the Master Plan for Aging, visit the MPA website here.