The Federal Communications Commission opened a process on how to prevent and eliminate digital discrimination to ensure that everyone has equal access to broadband internet access service.
The Notice of Inquiry starts the process of establishing a shared understanding of the harms experienced by historically excluded and marginalized communities, with the intent of making meaningful policy reforms and systems improvements. Continue reading
The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative was joined by a range of statewide and national partners working to advance inclusive age-and dementia friendly communities in a Twitter Chat that focused on “Equity in Aging.” Continue reading
Released last year as an experimental data product, the U.S. Census Bureau’s Community Resilience Estimates (CRE) garnered so much interest among public and government agencies that the Census Bureau decided to offer it regularly — with tweaks based on user feedback — to help decision-makers plan how to best serve their community.
The Census Bureau defines “community resilience” as the capacity of individuals and households to absorb, endure, and recover from the health, social, and economic impacts of a disaster such as a hurricane or pandemic. Continue reading
The Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) created a Guide To Reading A Hospital’s Community Benefits Report.
Age and dementia friendly community coalitions are among the community-based partners that can use this guide, which is valuable for mapping out common ground with a hospital’s efforts to improving social determinants of health, as a resource to better understand their local hospital’s commitments to community health priorities, and to foster more collaboration between hospitals and community-based organizations. Continue reading
The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative encourages communities working to become more age- and dementia friendly to consider the following funding opportunities: Continue reading
At a time of increasing interest in walking and bicycling for transportation and recreational purposes, improving safety, access, and comfort for these modes on the parkways of metro Boston represents an opportunity to dramatically expand the regional greenway network. Continue reading
An issue brief published by Kaiser Family Foundation dives into the rapid expansion of telehealth during the pandemic. For example, among the vast majority of Medicare beneficiaries with a usual source of care (95%), such as a doctor or other health professional, or a clinic, nearly two-thirds (64% or 33.6 million) say that their provider currently offers telehealth appointments, up from 18% who said their provider offered telehealth before the pandemic.
But nearly a quarter of Medicare beneficiaries (23%) say they don’t know if their provider offers telehealth appointments, and this percentage is larger among beneficiaries who live in rural areas (30%). Continue reading
Through grant funding, collaboration, and technical support, communities across Massachusetts have an opportunity to support residents of all ages in remaining physically active and socially engaged this winter.
The pandemic has heightened the awareness and importance of social engagement, which cities and towns can promote with a new guide developed by the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, WalkBoston and the Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative. Continue reading
Informed by data and stakeholder interviews, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office released a report, “Building Toward Racial Justice and Equity in Health: A Call to Action,” meant to lay out ways stakeholders should come together to address the systemic health inequities facing people of color. Continue reading
Smart Growth America (SGA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity are now accepting applications for the Champions Institute, a new initiative for elected officials focused on safe streets and healthy communities. This is an opportunity for elected leaders of Age-and Dementia Friendly Communities to learn more about the concepts of Complete Streets and inclusive street policies and practices.
The Champions Institute will serve to prepare mayors, city council people, tribal representatives, and other local elected-officials to act as champions supporting plans, policies, and funding that promote activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations, as part of the Active People, Healthy Nation Initiative. Continue reading