{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://frankel.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3379", "Reps. Frankel, Bilirakis, Dingell Introduce Bill to Improve Public Health Programs for Older Adults", "2021-12-16", "2021", "2021-12", "Democrat", "House", "FL", "Lois Frankel", "F000462", "frankel.house.gov", "frankel", "https://frankel.house.gov/news/documentquery.aspx?DocumentTypeID=27", "scraper", "Washington, DC \u2013 Today, Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL-21), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL-12), and Debbie Dingell (D-MI-12) introduced the Protecting the Health of America\u2019s Older Adults Act. This bipartisan legislation would create a program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to improve the health and well-being of older adults and provide grants to state and local health departments to implement age-friendly public health programs.\n\n\u201cAs people age, they face unique health challenges including dementia, food insecurity, balance, and isolation,\u201d said Rep. Frankel. \u201cThis bipartisan legislation will provide the CDC and state and local health departments with resources to address these, and other critical health issues older Americans confront every day.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe owe it to our seniors to ensure they have access to the best possible health care,\u201d said Rep. Bilirakis. \u201cAs the population continues to age, it only makes sense that public health officials are working closely with senior advocacy organizations to identify and address unmet needs.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe number of Americans ages 65 and older will more than double over the next 40 years. We have the power to prepare for this through strategic legislation that supports critical resources for older Americans,\u201d said Rep Dingell. \u201cI\u2019m proud to work with my colleague Rep. Lois Frankel to introduce the Protecting the Health of America\u2019s Older Adults Act to create a Healthy Aging program at the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention. From lowering health care costs to improving health equity, this program will be a lifeline to the American people as they age.\u201d\n\n\u201cThe last year underscored how important it is for public health agencies to be at the table when it comes to promoting the health of older adults,\u201d said Dr. J. Nadine Gracia, President and CEO of Trust for America\u2019s Health. \u201cWhile health departments have been critical to the COVID-19 pandemic response when it comes to older adults, their active engagement in addressing many other issues faced by the aging population across the public health spectrum, including transportation and housing access, chronic disease, and mental health will promote better aging outcomes and benefit our entire society. This new grant program would be a step in the right direction to ensure that state and local health departments have the resources to do exactly that.\u201d\n\nThis CDC program would provide grants and technical assistance to state, local, territorial, and tribal health departments for:\n\nImproving the coordination of public health interventions that improve the health and well-being of older adults;\n\nDisseminating and implementing evidence-based best practices and programs with respect to promoting the health and well-being of older adults;\n\nCoordinating multisectoral efforts to improve the health and well-being of older adults across governmental and nongovernmental health agencies;\n\nImproving coordination of interventions to identify gaps and reduce duplication of efforts at federal, local, and state agencies and with other aging services organizations.\n\nThe Protecting the Health of America\u2019s Older Adults Act has been endorsed by The Florida Public Health Association, Trust for America\u2019s Health, Alliance for Aging Research, Society for Women\u2019s Health Research, American Association on Health and Disability, American Public Health Association, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, Society for Public Health Education, Coalition of National Health Education Organizations, Association of State Public Health Nutritionists, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of the Elderly (CARIE), National Network of Public Health Institutes, Society for Public Health Education, Florida Introduces Physical Activity and Nutrition to the Youth, National Association of Nutrition and Aging Services Programs, Gerontological Partnership of America, Common Threads, Urban Health Partnerships, We All Rise, and more.\n\nFull text of the legislation can be found here.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T20:37:48Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://frankel.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3379"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6730840541422367, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}