Cross-Sector Coalition Shares Key Issues to Consider in Gov. Hochul’s Master Plan for Aging

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2022
Contact: Kerry Jones Waring | kjwaring@hfwcny.org | 716-852-3030 ext. 107

Report makes recommendations related to long-term services and supports, caregivers, health equity

BUFFALO, NEW YORK – In anticipation of Gov. Kathy Hochul issuing an executive order to establish a Master Plan for Aging in New York State, a coalition of more than 80 organizations from across the state formerly known as We Stand with NY Seniors and now as the NYS Master Plan for Aging Coalition has published an outline of key issues they hope the governor will consider in the development of the plan. The governor committed to this comprehensive strategy to address aging-related issues in her State of the State on January 5, 2022.

Read the coalition’s recommendations here.

The coalition’s report identifies critical issues determined by the coalition that could be included in the Master Plan for Aging, including: strengthening long-term services and supports (LTSS) in facility- and community-based care and comprehensively addressing health care workforce shortages; confronting health inequities faced by older adults of color due to systemic barriers to care; improving paid and family caregiver support; and building on the state’s existing efforts in age-friendly communities and health systems.

After the coalition led an advocacy campaign in late 2021 to encourage Governor Hochul to launch a Master Plan for Aging in New York, the governor committed to issuing an executive order for the plan in the 2022 State of the State. The proposed state executive budget also includes funding for the plan through 2024.

States such as Colorado, California, Texas, and Massachusetts have also developed Master Plans for Aging. According to the SCAN Foundation, a Master Plan for Aging is a comprehensive roadmap for system-wide changes in how services are coordinated, delivered, and financed to better meet the needs of a state’s older adults and their families. Driven by data and rooted in the values of transparency and accountability, it can serve as an outcome-oriented blueprint for all sectors to promote healthy aging and prepare for future demographic changes.

“We appreciate the positive steps taken to date by Governor Hochul on the Master Plan for Aging, including its inclusion in her State of the State and the request for multiyear funding in her budget,” said Bob Blancato, statewide coordinator of NYS Master Plan for Aging Coalition. “Our coalition presents this document in the spirit of cooperating with the governor in both achieving her strategic vision for the plan and providing an opportunity for input from those who are deeply involved in these efforts across the state. We also reiterate our hope that Governor Hochul can issue the executive order in time for Older Americans Month in May.”

NYS Master Plan for Aging Coalition is a coalition of more than 80 organizations across New York State that are collaborating to advocate for New York’s Master Plan for Aging. The coalition includes representation from a variety of sectors, including community-based organizations, long-term services and supports providers, racial and socioeconomic justice advocates, foundations, academic institutions, paid and family caregiver organizations, county Offices for the Aging, and several national aging organizations and coalitions. Learn more at hfwcny.org/MPA.

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