AARP CEO Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan Speaks to Virginia Governor’s Conference on Aging

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. _ AARP Chief Executive Officer Dr. Myechia Minter-Jordan told Virginia’s professionals who work on behalf of the state’s aging population that this is their moment to shape the future of healthy longevity in the Commonwealth.

“You are not just thought leaders. You are change makers. Your research, your services, and your teams can shape what aging looks like for generations to come,” she said in her May 20 keynote address to 400 attendees at the Virginia Governor’s Conference on Aging at the Williamsburg Lodge. AARP Virginia is a sponsor of the conference, and Minter-Jordan met with several local volunteers during the event and held a Q & A session with conference participants.

Minter-Jordan, a physician who took the helm of the world’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization late last year, said successful advocacy is a key component of assuring Virginians and all Americans experience healthy aging. She noted that older Americans look to AARP to protect bedrock programs like Social Security and Medicare.

As an example, Minter-Jordan told participants how AARP sprang into action when the Social Security Administration proposed limiting phone access for key services. AARP members sent more than 3 million messages to Congress opposing the policy, causing the agency to reverse course. She also noted how the organization fought hard to pass Medicare drug price negotiation legislation.

“We must ensure that older people have access to affordable, quality health care and that the labor of caregiving is recognized, supported and shared,” she said.

She related a story about meeting a 66-year-old woman who has been caring for her 91-year-old mother with Alzheimer’s for eight years. The woman and her husband had spent $81,000 of their own money last year on care for her mother. In 2021, the average caregiver in the U.S. spent $7,242 of their own money to care for a loved one.

“That’s why AARP is still working – on Capitol Hill and here in Virginia’s general Assembly – to pass a family Caregiver Tax Credit which would help them recover some of their expenses and help shore up their own long-term financial security,” Minter-Jordan said. “Caregivers here in Virginia and throughout the country deserve that kind of support.”

The CEO emphasized, “We are fighting to protect support for some of the programs led by many of the people in this room.” She said her organization is raising concerns with Congress about proposed changes to Medicaid and nutrition assistance.

“While we are grateful for current plans to expand the bonus tax deduction for seniors and expand the low-income housing tax credit, we also need to protect low-income energy assistance and the long-term care ombudsmen program,” she said.

Minter-Jordan also told attendees how AARP is working with the private sector to help older adults “manage in this age of constant digital disruption.”

She discussed the AgeTech Collaborative from AARP, a growing ecosystem of tech leaders, visionary startups, and strategic organizations committed to making life easier, healthier and more fulfilling for the massive global population of older people and their families.

“One of my highest priorities as CEO is to make sure AARP is in the thick of the fight to close the widening gap between lifespan and healthspan in our nation,” Minter-Jordan said, pointing out that Americans today are living 30 years longer than they did in 1900 and that one in five Americans will be 65 or older by 2030.

Noting that poor health affects workforce productivity, costs businesses revenue, and hinders economic growth, Minter-Jordan encouraged optimism, innovation and advocacy to “level the playing field” for health outcomes.

“Zip code and income still determine too much about how long – and how well – a person lives,” she said.

Minter-Jordan has devoted her career to helping improve the health and wellness of individuals and communities, as a practicing physician, public health advocate and business leader. She joined AARP after serving as president and CEO of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and CEO and chief medical officer of The Dimock Center in Massachusetts, one of the nation’s largest community health centers. Minter-Jordan’s efforts have been nationally recognized as models for advancing innovation and providing comprehensive, integrated health and human services care. She earned an M.D. from Brown University School of Medicine and an MBA from the Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School.

Prior to Dimock, Minter-Jordan was an attending physician and instructor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine. She has served on many boards, including Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Blue Shield of California, and was appointed a member of the Massachusetts Health Planning Council Advisory Committee and the City of Boston Public Health Commission. In 2020, she also cofounded The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund (NCF) to support community groups and coalitions fighting health inequities in Massachusetts.

With about 1 million members in Virginia, AARP is the largest organization working on behalf of people age 50-plus and their families in the Commonwealth.

To learn more about AARP Virginia, like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/aarpvirginia and follow @AARPVa on X at www.X.com/aarpva. Find AARP events in your community at aarp.org/local.

 

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to the more than 100 million Americans 50-plus and their families: health and financial security, and personal fulfillment. AARP also produces the nation's largest-circulation publications: AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/about-aarp/, www.aarp.org/español or follow @AARP, @AARPenEspañol and @AARPadvocates on social media.