ASTHO President Challenges States to Promote Healthy Aging

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Association of State and Territorial Health Officials

Nov 12, 2014, 01:33 ET

ARLINGTON, Va., Nov. 12, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ASTHO President and Connecticut Department of Public Health Commissioner Jewel Mullen has issued the 2015 ASTHO President's Challenge: Healthy Aging—Living Longer Better. The challenge urges states and territories to implement evidence-based strategies to increase the number of older adults who are living well in communities across the United States.

"My ultimate goal for the healthy aging challenge is to build a national movement that supports families across America," says Mullen. "I want to convene the nation—through the support of state health officials, their public health teams, state and local experts in aging, and a broad network of partners—to look at how an aging population presents opportunities to our society. Right now we focus too much on how healthcare costs incurred by older adults present a burden to society. I want to shift the conversation to focus on prevention and start a movement where older means bolder."

In the next 25 years, the U.S. population of adults 65 years and older will double to around 72 million. Already more than 5 million Americans currently have Alzheimer's disease and other dementias, and more than 44 million people act as informal caregivers for senior adults. The 2015 President's Challenge uses resources from the National Prevention Strategy to maximize healthy aging opportunities by promoting healthy and safe community environments, clinical and community preventive services, the elimination of health disparities, and empowered people.

"As baby boomers age and people continue to live longer, we face a great challenge and opportunity," says ASTHO Executive Director Paul Jarris. "Our public health, healthcare, and elder care systems need to adapt to this unprecedented growth among older adults, but we must recognize the richness that senior adults bring to our lives and the chance that we have to make our communities healthier for them."

"Everybody has a story when you say aging, whether it's a memory of a patient, a relationship with a neighbor, or a history with a loved one," says Mullen. "Part of my goal is to really help raise the profile of older adults, so that as we continue to invest wisely in public health, we remember to include our older communities."

ASTHO will be supporting state and territorial health officials and their partners with these efforts by promoting successes, providing technical assistance, and facilitating information exchange opportunities.

To learn more, visit http://www.astho.org/healthyaging/, or read an interview with Mullen about Healthy Aging at http://www.astho.org/StatePublicHealth/ASTHO-Challenges-States-to-Maximize-Wellness-of-Older-Americans/10-7-14/.

ASTHO is grateful for the generous support of PhRMA, which is a sponsor of the 2015 President's Challenge on Healthy Aging and whose contribution will help fund this important work.

ASTHO is the national nonprofit organization representing the public health agencies of the United States, the U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia, as well as the more than 100,000 public health professionals these agencies employ. ASTHO members, the chief health officials of these jurisdictions, are dedicated to formulating and influencing sound public health policy and to ensuring excellence in state-based public health practice.

SOURCE Association of State and Territorial Health Officials