Improving Older Adult Health by Operationalizing State Plans on Aging and Health Improvement.

The COVID-19 pandemic, a growing aging population, and inconsistent equity in aging have prompted more public health departments and agencies that focus on older adult services to establish partnerships to improve older adult health. To develop a model for strengthening and better aligning public health-aging partnerships, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and Trust for America's Health engaged the Georgia Division of Aging Services (DAS) and Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) to participate in a pilot project. ASTHO conducted an intensive qualitative analysis of Georgia's State Health Improvement Plan and State Plan on Aging to systematically assess shared priorities and differences. Through facilitated discussions about the results, prioritization, and planning, DAS and DPH developed an action plan with 2 priority areas to collaborate on and further their partnership. This process can be replicated by other jurisdictions seeking to enhance public health-aging collaboration.