Albany, New York - Crystal J. Abers, Chairperson of the Cattaraugus County Legislature, will be honored today at the 12th Annual "Aging Concerns Unite Us" Conference held at the Desmond Hotel and conference Center in Albany, New York.
The "Excellence in Leadership" award presented by Michael J. Burgess, Director of the New York State Office for the Aging and Stephen Acquario, Executive Director of the New York State Association of Counties, is given to an elected official responsible for supporting the implementation of "NY Connects." NY Connects is a major state backed program to help with long term care for the elderly and disabled. Last year's award was presented to Michael Breslin, County Executive of Albany County.
In presenting the award, Director Burgess noted that because of the initiative and leadership of Legislator Abers, Cattaraugus County is well on its way to having a premier program in place to serve the elderly and disabled residents within the county. Burgess noted, "Sometimes upstate programs don't get the attention that they should, but given the special difficulties of providing help and services in rural areas, we need to focus more on how the rural areas of the state get things done."
The award is jointly sponsored by the Office for the Aging and the New York State Association of Counties because the program is county-based. Without the support and coordination by county leaders, programs and services for the elderly and disabled would continue to be difficult to navigate and access. County offices for the aging and social services across the state are working together to establish NY Connects programs.
As County Chairwoman, Ms. Abers has led the county legislature through various resolutions that have had full support and allowed the lead agencies to establish an effective and cost efficient local NY Connects office. Under her leadership, the county legislature has strongly supported co-locating staff from three agencies in a newly established office location that provides unbiased information on service options. The arrangement works best for those needing help because there is now one program to contact in the county, instead of four or five.
NY Connects: Choices for Long Term Care (NY Connects) is a program launched by the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) and New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) to streamline access to information and assistance about long term care. It is a State-wide program administered at the county level. Each local program provides consumer information and assistance for all individuals in need of long term care services, regardless of age, income, or payment source. The establishment of the NY Connects initiative follows a national trend towards long term care systems reform, which offers increased choice and more home and community based alternatives.
The "Aging Concerns Unite Us" is an award-winning collaborative conference that provides educational programming to leaders in the field of aging and those serving people with disabilities. More than 400 professionals from all regions of the state will be at the conference held through tomorrow at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center in Albany.
