Recent Updates

ASA Blog: New York is Committed to a Master Plan for Aging
Please note this blog post first appeared on the website for the American Association on Aging. We thank them for the opportunity. In 2022, New York became the latest state…

Honoring, Mourning, and Remaining Committed to Action
img credit: CNN By Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD, President On Sunday, May 14, the Buffalo community will mark one year since a shooter, driven by hatred and the vicious lies of…

Community Birth Doulas Can Save Lives and Improve Maternal Health Outcomes
An edited version of this piece was originally published in The Buffalo News on April 12, 2023 By Darcy Dreyer, Director, Maternal Infant Health, March of Dimes NY/NJ and Nora…

Better Health Coverage, Better Outcomes: The Urgent Need to Make ACA Improvements Permanent
By Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD President Across New York State and the country alike, recent efforts to close the health insurance coverage gap have been making coverage more affordable and accessible….

Strengthening Medicare is More Important Than Ever
By Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD President July 30 marks the 56th anniversary of President Lyndon B. Johnson signing into law the amendment that created Medicare, the federal health insurance program for…

Another Voice (The Buffalo News): Relief plan will strengthen health coverage in New York
This column was originally published in The Buffalo News on April 20, 2021. View it on The Buffalo News website here. by Maria Alvarez, Executive Director, New York State Wide…

Advocacy Priorities: Submitted to the NYS Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Health and Medicaid
The Health Foundation for Western and Central New York submitted the following written testimony to the Feb. 25, 2021 Joint Legislative Budget Hearing on Health and Medicaid. The Health Foundation…

Our View: Congress Must Pass a New Comprehensive Relief Package ASAP
By Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD President As the long-term impact of COVID-19 and the resulting economic crisis continues to unfold, people across the United States are facing unprecedented challenges: record unemployment,…

Complicated Grieving: How Faith Leaders Can Provide Support in Uncertain Times
Faith leaders and clergy play a complex and important role in their communities, offering comfort, guidance and leadership to congregants, and connecting people to valuable health-related resources and information. The…

Our View: Shifting Medicaid Costs Will Hurt the Health of New Yorkers
By Nora OBrien-Suric, PhD President, the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has released his proposed 2020-21 budget, and it included some potentially concerning changes…