A critical mass of aging research, education and patient care already exists at Stony Brook Medicine (SBM) and Stony Brook University (SBU). This overarching center coordinates the various activities and promotes bidirectional interactions between researchers on aging and geriatricians to transform the care of the aging in Suffolk County. This effort requires two major components, the Center for Healthy Aging (CHA) and an Age-Friendly Health System (AFHS).
The CHA is a research and training center that will develop the next generation of drugs and devices to improve the healthcare of older people. The AFHS will aid in this “bench to bedside” transition by rapidly translating any research discoveries that are made into clinical care. We will then get information on the outcomes of these clinical improvements more quickly from our health system, and that will inform the next cycle of research as an iterative process.
Now is a promising time to create a center devoted to research on aging. Especially on Long Island, where transportation is a major barrier to healthcare for the aging population, new care models are needed that are located closer to where patients live, or in their homes, so that they can age in place. Because of the shortage of geriatricians, approaches to expand the workforce of alternative healthcare providers are needed. Because of the clear and compelling need, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other funding agencies have created grant mechanisms focused on aging research and education. On Nov. 4, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed an executive order to create New York State’s first-ever Master Plan for Aging to ensure older New Yorkers can live healthy, fulfilling lives. In addition to promoting extramural funding from federal and state agencies, the CHA will provide a focus for philanthropic support, industry collaboration and venture capital investment.
A key requirement will be community engagement that will provide input into aging research at the initial stages and will include representation from patients, caregivers, government, community-based organizations and agencies serving older adults in Suffolk County.
