From classroom to State Capitol: Students influence state's aging policy

Age may be just a number, but the number of people who are aging is creating a need for new policies. A quarter of Connecticut’s population is 60 and over, a 7% jump since 2021. “We are reaching the [baby] boom bubble,” said Dr. Joan K. Monin, PhD, professor of public health (social and behavioral sciences) at the Yale School of Public Health.

While Connecticut’s population continues to age, the state’s workforce assigned to aging and health issues is shrinking. There is also uncertainty around funding for new and continuing programs to help older adults, adding urgency to the effort to educate and equip students to be public health leaders in aging and health policy. So Monin launched an independent study about aging health policy that takes students out of the classroom and into Connecticut’s communities and the wood-paneled rooms of the State Capitol.

From February to May, students will engage with legislative leaders and staff when the state’s General Assembly is in session. They will write policy briefs, provide testimony at public hearings, and be invited to participate in committees related to aging health policy. The course is co-taught by Michael Werner, JD, lead aging policy analyst at the state Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity & Opportunity, and administrator of the state’s Long-Term Care Advisory Council.

As students practice translating complex research findings to inform policymakers and propose evidence-based solutions, they will also achieve another goal of the independent study: to “demystify the government,” Monin said, by showing students how public health policy is made.

The course examines the issues that people may encounter as they age, such as transportation, housing, and caregiving needs, and how existing policies in the United States shape the experience of aging.

Amanda King, MPH ’26, said “I’m not quite sure where my specific niche in the field will be, but this course is exposing me to exciting work in research, advocacy, policy, and implementation.”

Among the policies helping older adults in Connecticut are the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program that works to protect individual rights and improve the quality of care and life for residents in long-term care facilities like nursing homes and assisted living homes, as well as those who age-in-place at home in the community.

“Connecticut really seems to be a leader in many health policy areas,” King said. “So far, I’m most passionate about the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program because it combines advocacy for systems-level improvements in care while providing resources and problem-solving support to individuals.”

According to Werner, the state’s aging policy was influenced by the 1999 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Olmstead v. L.C., which required states to provide long-term care for people with disabilities in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs. By 2003, Connecticut had established a “rebalancing goal” to have 75% of Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) recipients receive services at home, Werner said. The remaining 25% of people would receive support in long-term care facilities.

“Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), like bathing and dressing, and medication management, would be provided for based on an assessment of needs and the self-determination of the resident,” Werner said.

“These types of learning experiences can provide a larger context that permits students to identify areas where they can develop further,” said Dr. Mike Honsberger, PhD, director of academic affairs at YSPH.

YSPH students have contributed to state legislation already through the Health Policy Practicum led by Professor Shelley Diehl Geballe, JD, MPH. Geballe’s students recently contributed to the successful passage of Presumptive Eligibility legislation in 2024, intended to help adults in crisis who have urgent LTSS needs but who have not yet completed the lengthy application process. The public act addresses the creation of a presumptive Medicaid eligibility system to allow individuals to receive immediate, temporary health care coverage based on a preliminary assessment before their full Medicaid application has been processed and approved.

Monin’s and Werner’s students learn to communicate effectively as they examine issues related to aging health policy at the state, municipal, and federal levels. “Our students need to learn multiple societal and discipline languages so they can push beyond the boundaries of academia to help make changes in the state, the country, and the world,” Monin said.

King said she plans to continue the course next semester. “Students can approach the class topically, if they’re only interested in aging, or structurally, if they’re only interested in policy or public programs,” she said. “They will likely end up interested in aging policy because it impacts all of us.”