Good New Story – Government Program that Works!

Today’s media is filled with negative stories about our government.  Gridlock.  Competing agendas.  Deficit spending.  National priorities.  I struggle to remain engaged when each ‘side’ blames the other for the state of our nation. And then this happened……

Twenty-First Century Solution

I cannot adequately convey how pleased I was to attend the Administration for Community (ACL) Living Tenth Anniversary webinar yesterday.  The advent of ACL did not start with finger-pointing, just handshakes and open dialogue to collaborate across agencies to best serve all people.  All credit goes to the brave leadership by Kathy Greenlee, Sharon Lewis, and Henry Claypool.  Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra recalls this dream team constructed a napkin sketch of the new organization that would serve all people, regardless of disability or age in the community.

Imagine the conversations with Greenlee, Lewis, and Claypool from 2009-2012.  We are talking about monstrous bureaucratic agencies accountable to the highest offices in the nation.  The day to day demands never paused for a reset. The Greenlee, Lewis, and Claypool conversation on yesterday’s webinar referenced the delicate conversations with other agencies who may have been threatened by the proposed ACL design.  These leaders risk their reputations and futures as they build this new administration. Simultaneously, the nation rolled out the Affordable Care Act. I wish I had been a fly on the wall for these amazing meetings.

Administration for Community Living Mission and Vision

The mission of ACL is “All people, regardless of age or disability, should be able to live independently and participate fully in their communities. Every person should have the right to make choices and to control the decisions in and about their lives. This right to self-determination includes decisions about their homes and work, as well as all the other daily choices most adults make without a second thought.”

Living in a community is a basic human need.  We are shaped by the place, people and events that surround us.  In fact, living and aging at home is the most cost-effective setting for delivering services to people in need.  Additionally, communities benefit by having all of us engaged. We need our historians, volunteers, co-workers, family, friends, and mentors together sharing our collective wisdom to build stronger places to live, work, play, and learn.

I encourage you to watch this short video to learn more about ACL.

Building a Long-Term Service and Support Community-Based System

I will close today with my sincere thanks to Kathy Greenlee, Sharon Lewis, Henry Claypool and their staffs for creating a Twenty-First Century solution that will continue to grow our long-term service and support community-based care.  In May we celebrate Older Americans Month.  Be sure to read our May blog posts to learn more about the great work at ACL as we celebrate the government that works for US!

Yours in Health,

Monica Stynchula, MSW, MPH