October 11, 2019
The Honorable Debbie Dingell
Vice Chair Aging and Families Task Force
116 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Lucille Roybal-Allard
Vice Chair Aging and Families Task Force
2083 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Ayanna Pressley
Co-Chair Aging and Families Task Force
1108 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Jan Schakowsky
Co-Chair Aging and Families Task Force
2367 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Conor Lamb
1224 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Doris Matsui
2311 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Vice Chairs Dingell and Roybal Allard and Co-Chairs:
We, the undersigned represent Healthy Shalom, an online portal for adults aged 65 and older who are at risk for or living with a chronic disease. We applaud your efforts to highlight the needs of our senior population and encourage you to continue to advocate for this often-neglected population.
Healthy People 2020 reports that although older adults are living longer, they also experience higher incidence of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and stroke. Social isolation and its impact on older adults are other factors that contribute to the health and well-being of this population.
African American and Latinx older adults suffer disproportionately from chronic disease in comparison to their white counterparts. As you prepare to introduce the “Older American Bill of Rights” we urge you to include strategies that will address healthy equity for older adults.
We look forward to learning more about the “Older American Bill of Rights” which your Caucus will introduce the end of the year. Moreover, thank you for acknowledging the cost associated with aging and health care. It is imperative that policies are put in place to protect the rights of older adults and keep the cost of health care at a minimum through prevention intervention.
Healthy Shalom is in alignment with your Caucus. We want our community to age with dignity and self-efficacy. Thank you for championing the rights and dignity of seniors.
Sincerely,
Rev. Albert Whitaker – Founder Healthy Shalom
Christine Attleboro
Thomas Croft
Gary Brown
Elena Santiago
Juan Herrera
Betty Brown
Prudence Cashwell
Raymond Hunter
Ezra Williams
Maria Rodriquez
Albert Whitaker 