The Healthy Aging Initiative is a Department-wide effort that aims to promote healthy and resilient communities that support older Californians, as well as provide support to those who can no longer look after themselves independently.

 Through the Healthy Aging Initiative, individuals representing different programs and organizations identify ways to collaboratively support healthy aging for older adults and their caregivers. The initiative takes a comprehensive public health approach focused on primary prevention and acknowledges how inequities impact Californians' ability to age well.  

Vision

A public health system that supports healthy, resilient, thriving residents throughout the entirety of their lifespan

Mission

To amplify, align, and coordinate local and statewide public health efforts to create nurturing, healthy, and inclusive environments for older adults and their support networks.

Guiding Practices

1. Increase Internal Coordination and Collaboration: We will coordinate & collaborate across programs to identify and act on opportunities to promote the health and wellbeing of older adults and their caregivers.

2. Champion Healthy Aging Across Sectors: We will strengthen relationships across sectors to promote the public health and health equity perspectives in policy, service, and program planning.

3. Collect, Analyze, and Share Data to Support Healthy Aging Efforts: We will use data expertise to assess the health status of older adults and their caregivers to inform the development of effective equitable interventions.

4. Ensure a Competent and Age-Friendly Public Health Workforce: We will elevate the importance and value of older adults and caregivers in work throughout the Department.

5. Support Local Efforts to Build Infrastructure and Capacity to Promote Healthy Aging: We will serve older adults and caregivers by listening to communities and supporting local healthy aging efforts.

6. Utilize a Health Equity Framing: We recognize the accumulated impacts of life-long exposure to discrimination, including that of ageism, and will work to ensure that health equity is at the root of our efforts to serve older adults, their caregivers, and their families.

7. Promote Healthy Aging Across the Lifespan: We acknowledge that everyone is aging and will strive to be inclusive in our communications and efforts to ensure health and longevity for all Californians.