This Week's Updates
Alaska Department of Health sent this bulletin at 08/07/2026 01:21 PM AKDT
Scholarships Available: Summit on Aging
Statewide Summit on Aging this October: Register Now!
You're invited! Please join us this fall, either virtually or in-person at Turnagain Social Club in Anchorage for the Statewide Summit on Aging October 15-17th. We have combined forces with the Aging and Disability Summit traditionally held at Special Olympics to bring you this Summit on Aging. Continuing education credits are available.
View all Summit details, including the complete agenda, and register here.
Our early bird discount of $250/3 days full Summit is available through August 31, 2026.
Virtual and in-person scholarships are available. Please complete this form and submit via email to: jenny@northernlightsconsulting.org. Scholarship requests are due by August 20. We apologize the original scholarship form had limited space available to answer all questions. This one is revised.
Alaskans ages 65+ and individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) have waived in-person registration fees. These spaces are limited, and registration is required. We are not accepting walk-ins at this time. We kindly request that you only register for the day(s) you plan to actively attend and participate in sessions. This helps make the Summit more accessible to all interested Alaskans. If registering online is not possible, please call 907-328-9737 or 907-230-0871 to register. Senior centers and organizations are welcome to contact us and coordinate their community member registrations. If you prefer to attend virtually instead, please contact us to complete registration.
Interested in sponsorship or exhibitor opportunities? Review our Sponsorship Prospectus here.
To register as a sponsor and/or exhibitor, click here. Exhibitor space ($150 for Alaskan entitites) is available on a first-come, first-served basis and we are filling up. Sponsorships are critical to ensuring rural voices are represented. Thank you for your support!
Please contact yasmin.radbod@alaska.gov with any questions.
ACoA Quarterly Board Meeting August 24-25
Join Alaska Commission on Aging (ACoA) on both August 24th and August 25th from 8:30 AM - 12:30 PM each day for our quarterly board meeting. Please visit the Public Notice to download the Agenda.
August 24 Zoom Webinar link to join is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88288167870
Toll-free phone number to join via audio: 833-548-0276
August 25 Zoom Webinar link to join is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86091326385
Toll-free phone number to join via audio: 888-788-0099
Public Comment is at 10:00 AM on August 25, allowing for feedback from individuals and organizations. Public Comment is welcome but may be limited to 3 minutes for personal and 5 minutes for organizations. Organizations may be represented by no more than 3 speakers whose combined comments may not exceed 10 minutes.
Questions? Contact doh.acoa.info@alaska.gov or call 907-230-0871.
Welcome New ACoA Commissioner Monique Clupper
State Fiscal Year 2028 Human Services Transportation NOFO
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Eligibility requirements.
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Available funding opportunities.
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Application timelines.
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Evaluation criteria.
Alaska Housing Summit in Anchorage and Live Streamed August 19 & 20
The Alaska Housing Summit will take place on August 19 and 20, offering two days of connection, learning, and collaboration for housing and homelessness service providers, funders, and community partners across the state. Hosted at the Nuka Learning and Wellness Center in Anchorage, the event includes a light breakfast and lunch both days.
This year's summit will focus on the core initiatives of the Continuums of Care, how data can be leveraged to form partnerships and make decisions, and future advocacy opportunities.
The summit is an opportunity to network with other providers and build connections. Light breakfast and lunch will be provided. For those unable to attend in person, the summit will also be livestreamed on the event page. Learn more and purchase tickets before it sells out!
Partnership to Align Community Care: CMS Medicare Part B Proposed Changes
For the first time, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is proposing a Medicare Part B payment pathway for health and well‑being coaching that specifically includes community-based organizations and community care hubs. These provisions appear in the draft Calendar Year 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, and stakeholders have until September 14, 2026, to submit comments.
The Partnership to Align Community Care will host two webinars on August 13 and August 18 to explain what the proposed rule means for community care hubs and community-based organizations. The sessions will review the new health‑coaching Current Procedural Terminology codes (0591T, 0592T, 0593T), how evidence-based programs may be able to meet coach‑credentialing requirements without added certification costs, potential reimbursement opportunities that support scaling and sustainability, possible structural barriers, and ways organizations can help shape the final policy. Anyone previously registered for the August 7 session will automatically be registered for both new dates.
These webinars are intended for leaders and staff at community-based organizations, community care hubs, Title III‑D grantees operating evidence‑based health promotion programs, Federally Qualified Health Centers, primary care partners, clinical collaborators, and other interested stakeholders.
National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease: Public Comment due Aug 15
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking public input to inform a comprehensive update to the National Plan to Address Alzheimer’s Disease. Share your perspectives on AD/ADRD research, prevention, early detection, diagnosis, care, services, supports, and coordination. Comments are due August 15.
https://www.regulations.gov/document/HHS-ASPE-2026-0298-0001
HCBS Strategies: Introducing the SPAN Framework Webinar Aug 31
HCBS Strategies is holding a webinar introducing the SPAN (Sustainable Performance Aligned Networks) Framework. SPAN is a new framework to help Aging and Disability Networks do more with constrained resources while strengthening safeguards against fraud, waste, and abuse.
SPAN identifies three inter-related core domains central for improving program operations: Sustainability, Performance, and Aligning Networks. Enhanced Medicaid Administrative Claiming (MAC) provides an example of this approach in action; states can use enhanced MAC to: 1) generate more revenue; 2) build documentation of time and costs that can be used to improve efficiency and defend against waste, fraud and abuse investigations; and 3) create incentives for integration across No Wrong Door (NWD)/Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) networks.
The webinar will provide an overview of the framework and allow State leaders in Alaska, Maryland, and Michigan to discuss how they can apply the framework to improve program operations.
If you are interested in learning how Alaska can leverage the SPAN Framework to strengthen program operations and build a stronger business case for sustained funding, join HCBS Strategies on Monday, August 31 at 10:00 AM AKT.
Click here to register. For more information, review the SPAN flyer and the Webinar flyer.
Questions? Email HCBS Strategies at info@hcbs.info
National Falls Prevention Week Sept 21
Falls among older adults continue to be a national public health concern. Join the National Council on Aging Sept. 21-25 for Falls Prevention Awareness Week (FPAW), a nationwide observance with state coalitions and partners to raise awareness on preventing falls, reducing the risk of falls, and helping older adults live without fear of falling. Review materials and the NCOA toolkit here.
National Day of Remembrance for Indian Boarding School Survivors Sept 30
This year's theme, "Honoring Truth, Embracing Healing, Building Our Future", invites us to honor survivors, remember the children who never returned home, and stand in solidarity with the families and communities impacted by the Indian boarding school system.
Learn more from the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition including their Remembrance Day Toolkit.
Rural Health Transformation, Aging, & Disability News
- Alaska RHTP Projects: Round One Announced
- Intro to Alaska's Community Justice Worker Program: Webinar August 21
- Parkinson's Advocacy: New Bill Would Ban Paraquat Nationwide
- National Long Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center: New Website
- "The Good Life with Dementia" Program: Webinar this Monday
- Untapped Potential: The Older Workforce in America
- American Hospital Association's Age-Friendly Healthcare Impact Award: Applications Open
- Dementia Bingo by International Association for Indigenous Aging
- Medicare Will Require Breakthrough Devices to Prove Substantial Clinical Improvement for Extra Hospital Payments
Disclaimer: The information and announcements included in this email are being redistributed for informational purposes only. Our agency does not necessarily endorse or support the views, opinions, or activities of these organizations, and inclusion in this email does not imply any affiliation or recommendation.