142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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Age-friendly NYC and Program Sustainability Through Political Change

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014

Caitlyn Smith, MPH , Division of Health Policy, The New York Academy of Medicine, New York, NY
Age-friendly NYC is a partnership between the Office of the Mayor, the New York City Council, and the New York Academy of Medicine (NYAM). The initiative seeks to make New York City a better place to grow old by promoting an "age-in-everything" lens across all aspects of city life.  Now in its 6th year, the initiative asks public agencies, businesses, cultural, educational and religious institutions, community groups, and individuals to consider how changes to policy and practice can create a better city for older adults.  In 2013, Age-friendly NYC was named the Best Existing Age-friendly Initiative in the World by the International Federation on Aging and received APHA’s Archstone Foundation Award for Excellence in Program Innovation.

Age-friendly NYC was structured to include city government partners, necessitating buy-in from elected officials. In tying the initiative to the Mayor’s Office and the City Council, sustainability through transition was tested. This posed expected challenges in 2013, as New York City welcomed a new Mayor for the first time in 12 years, 21 new members in a City Council of 51, and the transition of many other elected officials. This presentation will detail strategies and approaches to maintaining a sustainable public-private partnership through political change. Strategies include: seating an Age-friendly NYC Commission and Secretariat; institutionalizing and embedding initiatives across sectors, levels, and branches of city government; communication with the public and with key players; working to incorporate Age-friendly NYC into candidates’ campaigns; nurturing public support; and connection to an international network and audience.

Learning Areas:

Administration, management, leadership
Environmental health sciences
Program planning
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe the structure and function of Age-friendly NYC as a public-private partnership and how this model may be applicable to other programs. Identify strategies for cultivating continuity in the face of political transition. Explain how to create a supportive environment for embedding policies and practices in city government.

Keyword(s): Aging, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am qualified to present on Age-friendly NYC because I am a Strategic Assistance Coordinator for the initiative who supports neighborhood-level efforts and works directly with multi-sectoral leadership. I have presented our work before the Age-friendly NYC Commission, at events led by local political leaders, for community organizations, and for older adults themselves.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3190.0: Special Topics in Aging and Public Health Policy