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Statement Of Jennifer Hilliard
Environmental Protection Agency
Aging Initiative Public Listening Session
Baltimore, Maryland
May 7, 2003
Jennifer Hilliard *
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging
Good afternoon. My name is Jennifer Hilliard, and I am the public policy attorney for the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. AAHSA represents 5,600 mission-driven, not-for-profit nursing homes, continuing care retirement communities, assisted living and senior housing facilities, and community service organizations. Every day, AAHSA's members serve more than one million older persons across the country. AAHSA has state association partners that represent AAHSA members in 39 states.
Our mission is to advance the vision of healthy, affordable, ethical long-term care for America. The EPA's Aging Initiative can make significant strides toward enhancing the lives of seniors, both by improving our understanding of the effect of environmental conditions on their health and by keeping them actively engaged in the community by enlisting their support and involvement in conservation and other environment-related outreach efforts.
More so than ever, as the American population continues to age, an understanding of the impact that environmental conditions play in the health and well being of seniors, as well as the impact that seniors have on the environment is crucial to developing practices that AAHSA members can implement to better serve the needs of seniors and enhance their quality of life, while at the same time ensuring a healthy environment for us all.
Together, AAHSA, its state affiliates, and most importantly, its members, have much to bring to the EPA's Aging Initiative, and we applaud the agency for its focus on this very important issue.
Thank you.
* was not able to attend but provided statement