Emerging Trends in Public Health
Sharing Session - 90 Minutes
Megan Wolfe, BA, JD
Policy Development Manager
Trust for America's Health
Megan Wolfe, BA, JD
Policy Development Manager
Trust for America's Health
Jane Carmody, DNP, MBA, RN
Program Officer
The John A. Hartford Foundation
Charles Henry, RS, MPA
County Health Department Administrator
Florida Department of Health-Sarasota County
The older adult population in the United States is growing rapidly and is expected to reach 20 percent by 2030, and with a significantly higher rate in many communities and states in America. While the public health system is not wholly responsible for the increased longevity of our population, it has contributed significantly and so should also be engaged in helping to improve the health and productivity of our older adults as they age.
Given the demographic changes described above, Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a public health policy and advocacy non-profit, has prioritized efforts to expand the role of public health in meeting the needs of America’s adults aged 65 and older. TFAH facilitated the development of a Framework for an Age-Friendly Public Health System that outlines the roles that public health could fulfill, in collaboration with aging services, to address the challenges and opportunities of an aging society. TFAH is now partnering with The John A. Hartford Foundation (which is also funding this work) and the Florida Departments of Health and Elder Affairs on a 14-month pilot project designed to test and expand the Framework at the county level in FL.
During this session, presenters will describe the work of the Age-Friendly Public Health Learning and Action Network, a cohort of FL health department teams committed to exploring the roles their departments can take to improve the health of older adults in their communities.