Home Safety Council Sponsors State Falls Coalition Conference

HSC concluded the quarter by sponsoring the first State Falls Prevention Coalition Conference on September 29 and 30 in Washington, DC. Over 50 participants representing 20 states attended and additional sponsors included the CDC Injury Center, the Archstone Foundation, and the Administration on Aging. NCOA coordinated and facilitated the two-day conference.

Meri-K Appy, Jennie Chin Hansen, President of AARP, and James Firman, President & CEO of NCOA were keynote speakers. We were fortunate in securing expert panelists from Congress, federal and state government, as well as national nonprofits and foundations.

This growing group of state falls prevention coalitions will offer another level of support for HSC's and the Falls Free Coalition Advocacy Work Group's ongoing appropriations activities. The conference, State Coalitions on Fall Prevention Workgroup Enhancing Effectiveness through Collaboration, was aimed at strengthening the State Coalitions' efforts to reduce falls and fall-related injuries and deaths in older adults through effective collaboration.

The following objectives helped to increase participants' knowledge and skills regarding:

• effective reimbursement strategies for fall prevention interventions;
• local, state and federal strategies that can be used to effect policy change prevention;
• partnership building and effective collaboration; and
• effective and creative sustainability strategies.