On June 7th Mercy Care for the Adirondacks held its Annual Educational Forum at Paul Smiths College on the topics of Ageism and the Master Plan for Aging in New York.
Ann Monroe was the keynote presenter on the topic of Ageism. Ann is the President Emeritus of the Health Foundation for Western and Central New York. Previously the Director of Quality Initiative at the California Healthcare Foundation and a Senior VP of Blue Cross California, Ann served from 2003-2016 as the first President of the Health Foundation for Western and Central NY. She has more than 40 years of experience leading public and private sector programs in mental health, community health, managed care, and philanthropy. Ann is currently a Board and Executive Committee member of the Center for Elder Law and Justice and a member of the Executive Council of NY’s AARP. She is a former Board Chair of Grantmakers in
Aging, former Board and Executive Committee Member of the NY eHealth Collaborative and Vice Chair of Grantmakers in Health. Ann continues to invest her time in important community health initiatives across New York.
Greg Olsen, director NYS Office for the Aging, and Heidi Hayes, Director of the NYS Department of Health Aging and Long Term Care co-presented on New York States Master Plan on Ageing.
Greg Olsen, Director of New York State Office for the Aging.
Working with public and private partners at the state and local level, Greg is leading the effort to combat ageism, generalizations, and stereotypes about what aging is and demonstrating value in addressing social determinants of health and their role in helping older adults maintain their independence with dignity. Having more than 30 years of experience in a variety of capacities serving older New Yorkers and their families, Greg served as Chief of Staff and Legislative and Policy Director, was the first Executive Director of the New York State Alliance for Retired Americans, and served as executive director of the New York State Coalition for the Aging. Greg speaks regularly, across the nation, about how New York frames aging, and the way New York serves older New Yorkers.
Heidi Hayes is the Director of the Center for Long-Term Care Survey and Operations within the Office of Aging and Long-Term Care. Following a long tenure in the Medicaid program where she implemented several major resident-centered long-term services and supports initiatives, Heidi moved on to the Office of Community Transitions where she worked with specific nursing homes, community programs, and social services agencies to transition individuals to community settings of their choice and with the appropriate services to allow success, and was the managing chair of the internal Discharge Planning Committee which identified areas for improvement in post-acute discharge planning practices. Prior to her current role, Heidi served as the Acting Director of the Division of Adult Care Facility and Assisted Living Surveillance, where she developed and coordinated several initiatives through the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented new and efficient practices that allowed this key setting to quickly grow its footprint on the long- term care continuum.
Today, Heidi provides direction and leadership to over 150 field surveyors located across New York State, facilitates an array of stakeholder meetings and engagements on provider services, works with internal and external stakeholders using data to develop policy, and draws from her experience to lead and contribute to dynamic projects to enhance the quality of life for aging New Yorkers including her participation in the State’s Master Plan for Aging.
