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New America Report Examines Subminimum Wage for Disabled Workers
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers are allowed to pay disabled workers less than the federal minimum wage, which has significant impacts on these workers’ health and well-being. A report from New America examines, state by state, the policies that drive the use or elimination of the subminimum wage, as well as the programs each state provides to more comprehensively support individuals with disabilities as they seek meaningful employment and fair wages.
The People Say: A New Older Adult and Caregiver Policy and Research Tool
An online research hub features first-hand insights from older adults and caregivers on the issues most important to them, as well as feedback from experts on policies affecting older adults. The project particularly focuses on the experiences of communities often under-consulted in policymaking, including older adults of color, those who are low income, and/or those who live in rural areas where healthcare isn’t easily accessible.
The Story of Care: A Snapshot of the Care Narrative Change Landscape
At some point, every one of us will need care or need to provide care. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions of caregivers and exposed the failings caused by our nation’s lack of care policies, especially for communities of color. Deploying narrative-change strategies across care-related issues will help create the conditions for cultural and policy progress. The goal of this report is to share with funders the promising narrative-change strategies and tactics that have been identified, a directory of funders and grantees who are supporting this work, and how philanthropy can best support this effort.
GIH Advocacy for the 2024 Reauthorization of the Older Americans Act (OAA)
The OAA provides critical services that address the social drivers of health for older adults. If the OAA is not reauthorized, it is set to expire on September 30, 2024. Grantmakers In Health (GIH) and Grantmakers In Aging (GIA) announced a partnership last year to engage funders in advancing the reauthorization of this critical piece of legislation.
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Older Americans Act Renewal Approved by Senate
This an important and time-sensitive update on the Older Americans Act Reauthorization. The bill passed the Senate on Dec. 10th. It now needs to go through the House.
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) has an easy way for organizations who are legally able to lobby congress to reach out. Click here to complete a very brief form which will be automatically routed to your representatives. And please share with your networks!
Investing in Inclusion: How Health Philanthropy Can Prioritize the Needs and Perspectives of Individuals with Disabilities
One in five children in the United States has a special health care need requiring more than routine health services, and one in four adults report having a disability. As 70 million adults and 14.5 million children in the United States have a disability, the population impacted by issues in the aging out process and in the health care system more broadly is far from insignificant. Despite these numbers, disability-related grants represent just 2 percent of total philanthropic giving and are primarily directed towards services and supports that seek to fix or cure disabilities and perpetuate the ableist assumption that people with disabilities are unable to make decisions about their own care.
Supporting Community Health Workers to Achieve Their Full Potential: What Role Can Philanthropy Play?
Community Health Workers (CHWs)—frontline public health professionals who have a unique and trusted relationship with the communities they serve—have proven their ability to help create just, equitable, and thriving communities. As a CHW for over a decade and a CHW ally for over 35 years, we have never witnessed a time of greater interest and investment in the CHW workforce. Amidst a rapidly changing CHW funding landscape, the philanthropic community has an important role to play in assuring that CHWs are able to make an optimum contribution to communities and to the health system.
Safeguarding Health Care Access for Transgender Communities
For decades, LGBTQ+ Americans have been at the forefront of powerful movements championing the freedom for all individuals to be themselves and pursue their dreams. This grassroots organizing has led to unprecedented public support for LGBTQ+ equality and increased visibility for transgender people within our society. However, despite growing acceptance, a dangerous political backlash threatens the progress made in securing health care access for transgender communities.
Health and Social Care Integration: Five Years of Progress on a National Academies Report
Historically, social determinants of health (SDOH) have not been addressed in health care visits. However, whether someone has a safe place to live or healthy food to eat directly impacts health. Other SDOH outlined by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion include economic stability, education access and quality, neighborhood and build environment, social and community context, and healthcare access and quality. It is critical that health care providers understand individuals’ experience of these domains; without this, the care provided is not patient-centered and does not fully address health and well-being.
John A Hartford Foundation: October 2024
A national survey, “Meeting the Growing Demand for Age-Friendly Care: Health Care at the Crossroads,” released by Age Wave and The John A. Hartford Foundation, found 82 percent of older adults say the United State health care system is not prepared for the growing and changing needs of America’s aging population. After reviewing all survey findings, five key recommendations were identified to improve health care for older adults and promote healthier, happier aging.
Publications and Reports
Fact Sheet: Five Ways Congress Can Strengthen the Older Americans Act, and What Philanthropy Can Do
First signed into law in 1965, the Older Americans Act (OAA) provides critical services that address the social drivers of health for older adults such as nutrition, transportation, senior centers, elder rights protections, caregiver support, and health promotion. A popular, bipartisan, and effective law, the OAA is set to expire on September 30, 2024, if it is not reauthorized. Foundations play a critical role at every stage of the OAA, from the time Congress begins reauthorizing the law, to the appropriation of funding, to the implementation of OAA programs. Now is the time to act.
Public Health Approaches to Firearm Violence Prevention
Firearm injuries are a serious public health problem, killing more than 47,000 Americans each year and becoming the leading cause of death for children and teens in the United States in 2020. Given the impact and complexity of this health crisis, Grantmakers in Health (GIH) hosted a first-ever preconference session focused on firearm violence in advance of the June 2023 GIH Annual Conference on Health Philanthropy. Session speakers briefed partners on the causes of gun violence and provided an opportunity for health funders to learn more about potential solutions through a public health lens. This Issue Brief provides highlights of the meeting’s proceedings and previews GIH’s plans to convene a funder learning collaborative on firearm violence prevention to continue the peer learning and sharing that began at the preconference session.
The Story of Care: A Snapshot of the Care Narrative Change Landscape
At some point, every one of us will need care or need to provide care. The COVID-19 pandemic put a spotlight on the extraordinary contributions of caregivers and exposed the failings caused by our nation’s lack of care policies, especially for communities of color. Deploying narrative-change strategies across care-related issues will help create the conditions for cultural and policy progress. The goal of this report is to share with funders the promising narrative-change strategies and tactics that have been identified, a directory of funders and grantees who are supporting this work, and how philanthropy can best support this effort.
Connect With Funder Peers on Population Health
Interested in exchanging strategies, information, and questions with your funder peers? Sign up for GIH E-Forums.