Public Health Heroes Awards Ceremony

The name On Lok means "place of peace and happiness" in Cantonese, which reflects both the organization's roots and philosophy of care. Established in 1971, On Lok's mission, as a not-for-profit community organization, is to provide quality, affordable care services for the well-being of the elderly population. Initially modeled as one of the country's first day health centers for the elderly, the organization has evolved over the years, adding in-home support, primary care and case management services.

Services are currently provided through On Lok SeniorHealth, a fully integrated health plan that delivers medical and long-term care to those looking for an alternative to a nursing home. At present, On Lok SeniorHealth helps approximately 880 older adults maintain their independence by providing all necessary primary and specialty medical care, adult day health care, in-home health and personal care, social work services, and hospital and nursing home care. Last year, seniors attended On Lok's day health centers 122,243 times, used 378,162 hours of home care, ate 550,000 meals and took 200,431 trips about the city in On Lok vans. In a 12-month period, On Lok now serves more than 8,000 seniors, nearly 1,100 of who qualify for nursing home care.

As a measure of its success, On Lok has replicated its innovative service delivery and financing model as the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which is currently comprised of 70 organizations in 30 states working in various stages of the PACE model. Despite such success, On Lok's dedicated staff members show no signs of complacency. In fact, the ongoing commitment to the well-being of America's growing elderly population, as expressed both institutionally and individually, all but assures that On Lok will continue to help shape the eldercare landscape both locally and on a national level.

Award Presenter

Art Agnos has extensive experience in executive roles and decision-making at the federal, state and local government level having served as a senior presidential appointee in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (1993-2001), the elected representative of the 16th District to the California State Assembly (1976-1988), and mayor of San Francisco (1988-1992).

The Challenge: Serving the Health Needs of an Aging Population

The United States is on the brink of a longevity revolution. By 2030, the number of older Americans will have more than doubled to 70 million – one in every five Americans. The growing number and proportion of older adults places increasing demands on the public health system and on medical and social services.

Chronic diseases exact a particularly heavy health and economic burden on older adults due to associated long-term illness, diminished quality of life, and greatly increased health care costs. Although the risk of disease and disability clearly increases with advancing age, poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging.

National health expenditures are projected to total $2.6 trillion and reach 15.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2010, after having declined from 13.4 percent in 1993 to 13.0 percent in 1999. National health expenditures for Medicare and Medicaid in 2010 are projected at $441.4 billion and $446 billion, respectively. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that inflation-adjusted expenditures for long-term care for the elderly will grow annually by 2.6 percent between 2000 and 2040. Those expenditures are projected to reach $207 billion in 2020 and $346 billion in 2040.

Much of the illness, disability, and death associated with chronic disease are avoidable through known prevention measures. Key measures include practicing a healthy lifestyle – regular physical activity, healthy eating, and avoiding tobacco use – and the use of early detection practices, such as screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, diabetes and its complications, and depression.

The School of Public Health Responds

A major public health objective of the United States is to enhance and maintain the health, vitality, and independence of its aging population. To help meet this challenge, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health maintains several programs, both academic and research-related, which address the health implications of our nation's aging population.

In addition to completing the degree requirements for a selected area of concentration, such as health policy management or epidemiology, students may also elect to complete the Specialty Area in Aging, the equivalent of an academic minor, which is achieved by successfully completing a prescribed series of additional courses related to the topic of aging.

Along with offering aging-related coursework, a number of the school's faculty conduct aging-related health research, including the economics of health and aging; comparison of costs of institutional vs. non-institutional care; medicine and aging; death and dying; social support and health of the elderly; the political economy of aging; intergenerational issues; the effects of social structure on the health and health behavior of the elderly; health care reimbursement for the elderly and the poor; epidemiology of aging and cancer; aging and disability; aging and physical activity; medigap insurance and the elderly; implications of an aging population for health care costs; disease prevention and aging; reimbursement for preventive services under Medicare; organization and financing of long-term care services for the elderly; pulmonary disease, infectious and chronic disease in the elderly, age-related changes in physical functioning; aging and its influence on immune regulation.

In addition to school-based activities that address aging and health, the Berkeley campus is home to the Resource Center on Aging, which serves as the coordinating mechanism for campus initiatives on aging and serves as a clearinghouse for information on related activities both on and off campus. The center disseminates information on education, research, grants, publications, fellowships, internships, job opportunities, and community resources.

	2002 Organizational Hero On Lok Senior Health San Francisco, California	Other 2002 Heroes International Zafrullah Chowdhury National Philip R. Lee, M.D. Regional Rob Reiner
2002 Organizational Hero -On Lok Senior Health The name On Lok means "place of peace and happiness" in Cantonese, which reflects both the organization's roots and philosophy of care. Established in 1971, On Lok's mission, as a not-for-profit community organization, is to provide quality, affordable care services for the well-being of the elderly population. Initially modeled as one of the country's first day health centers for the elderly, the organization has evolved over the years, adding in-home support, primary care and case management services. Services are currently provided through On Lok SeniorHealth, a fully integrated health plan that delivers medical and long-term care to those looking for an alternative to a nursing home. At present, On Lok SeniorHealth helps approximately 880 older adults maintain their independence by providing all necessary primary and specialty medical care, adult day health care, in-home health and personal care, social work services, and hospital and nursing home care. Last year, seniors attended On Lok's day health centers 122,243 times, used 378,162 hours of home care, ate 550,000 meals and took 200,431 trips about the city in On Lok vans. In a 12-month period, On Lok now serves more than 8,000 seniors, nearly 1,100 of who qualify for nursing home care. As a measure of its success, On Lok has replicated its innovative service delivery and financing model as the Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE), which is currently comprised of 70 organizations in 30 states working in various stages of the PACE model. Despite such success, On Lok's dedicated staff members show no signs of complacency. In fact, the ongoing commitment to the well-being of America's growing elderly population, as expressed both institutionally and individually, all but assures that On Lok will continue to help shape the eldercare landscape both locally and on a national level. Award Presenter Art Agnos has extensive experience in executive roles and decision-making at the federal, state and local government level having served as a senior presidential appointee in the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (1993-2001), the elected representative of the 16th District to the California State Assembly (1976-1988), and mayor of San Francisco (1988-1992). The Challenge: Serving the Health Needs of an Aging Population The United States is on the brink of a longevity revolution. By 2030, the number of older Americans will have more than doubled to 70 million – one in every five Americans. The growing number and proportion of older adults places increasing demands on the public health system and on medical and social services. Chronic diseases exact a particularly heavy health and economic burden on older adults due to associated long-term illness, diminished quality of life, and greatly increased health care costs. Although the risk of disease and disability clearly increases with advancing age, poor health is not an inevitable consequence of aging. National health expenditures are projected to total $2.6 trillion and reach 15.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2010, after having declined from 13.4 percent in 1993 to 13.0 percent in 1999. National health expenditures for Medicare and Medicaid in 2010 are projected at $441.4 billion and $446 billion, respectively. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that inflation-adjusted expenditures for long-term care for the elderly will grow annually by 2.6 percent between 2000 and 2040. Those expenditures are projected to reach $207 billion in 2020 and $346 billion in 2040. Much of the illness, disability, and death associated with chronic disease are avoidable through known prevention measures. Key measures include practicing a healthy lifestyle – regular physical activity, healthy eating, and avoiding tobacco use – and the use of early detection practices, such as screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers, diabetes and its complications, and depression. The School of Public Health Responds A major public health objective of the United States is to enhance and maintain the health, vitality, and independence of its aging population. To help meet this challenge, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health maintains several programs, both academic and research-related, which address the health implications of our nation's aging population. In addition to completing the degree requirements for a selected area of concentration, such as health policy management or epidemiology, students may also elect to complete the Specialty Area in Aging, the equivalent of an academic minor, which is achieved by successfully completing a prescribed series of additional courses related to the topic of aging. Along with offering aging-related coursework, a number of the school's faculty conduct aging-related health research, including the economics of health and aging; comparison of costs of institutional vs. non-institutional care; medicine and aging; death and dying; social support and health of the elderly; the political economy of aging; intergenerational issues; the effects of social structure on the health and health behavior of the elderly; health care reimbursement for the elderly and the poor; epidemiology of aging and cancer; aging and disability; aging and physical activity; medigap insurance and the elderly; implications of an aging population for health care costs; disease prevention and aging; reimbursement for preventive services under Medicare; organization and financing of long-term care services for the elderly; pulmonary disease, infectious and chronic disease in the elderly, age-related changes in physical functioning; aging and its influence on immune regulation. In addition to school-based activities that address aging and health, the Berkeley campus is home to the Resource Center on Aging, which serves as the coordinating mechanism for campus initiatives on aging and serves as a clearinghouse for information on related activities both on and off campus. The center disseminates information on education, research, grants, publications, fellowships, internships, job opportunities, and community resources.