Human Services Department Director Karen Fies named to Governor’s Master Plan on Aging Subcommittee

Sonoma County Human Services Department Director Karen Fies has been named to the Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee for California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Master Plan for Aging. The first meeting of the 22-member group was in late October, with a report due in March 2020.

Fies, who has worked for the Human Services Department for almost 34 years, was nominated by the County Welfare Directors Association.

Recognizing that California’s over-65 population is projected to grow to 8.6 million by 2030, Newsom issued an Executive Order calling for the creation of a Master Plan for Aging. The Plan will offer a blueprint that can be used by state government, local communities, private organizations and philanthropy to promote an age-friendly California.

The Long-Term Services Subcommittee will offer input on services and programs that would provide longer-term help for older adults, such as home- and community-based services including state-based In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS); access to and the quality of Medicare-based Long Term Services and Supports (LTSS), as well as LTSS financing and stabilization; workforce labor supply and retention; family caregivers; and information & referral systems.

Newsom has asked for input from the long-term services group, a Stakeholder Advisory Committee and a Research Subcommittee to develop components of the Master Plan.