News Articles

As a veteran who spent 13 years in the U.S. Air Force, I know the unique health challenges that current and former service members face — both seen and unseen. But in the nearly 30 years since I was medically discharged, no civilian doctor ever asked whether I served in the military. This experience mirrors that of many veterans and motivates my passion as an educator to best prepare current and aspiring health care professionals to meet the needs of the military population.

“It’s not just a job. It’s an adventure.” Coming out of college, this Navy slogan spoke to me, and 20 years of service lived up to that promise. I traveled the world, worked with dedicated professionals and served our country’s top leaders in the White House medical unit.

America’s Health Rankings encourages you to utilize the resources below to share these data and insights with your colleagues and communities to better understand the unique health challenges of those who have served and to support efforts to connect them with the care they need.

As someone who works with older adults, I believe it is good news that 10,000 Americans turn 65 every day. Older adults are living longer, healthier and more productive lives. They are a wonderful resource, contributing talent, wisdom and enormous economic value to our society.

The wisdom I gain from caring for seniors is what has always driven my passion for promoting the health of older adults. When I first started working as a nursing assistant in 1991, it was easy to see the gaps in health services for older adults. Over 30 years later, these challenges persist — and have only gotten worse.

Addressing health disparities across race, ethnicity and age has long been central to our work at the Alliance for Aging Research. The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately impacted older adults and communities of color and has further highlighted the urgency of advancing health equity.

The 10th annual America’s Health Rankings® Senior Report reviews the past decade of data to provide a comprehensive look at the health of older Americans, capturing key trends, challenges and areas of progress in order to spark meaningful dialogue and action to improve senior health.

Building on 32 years of data collection and analysis, America’s Health Rankings is excited to present the 2021 Annual Report and offer a toolkit of customizable resources to help users share data-driven insights with colleagues and communities.

Since the beginning of 2020, the public health community has been working overtime to track, analyze and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic on a day-by-day basis. While that crucial work continues, the America’s Health Rankings 2021 Annual Report marks the beginning of a new phase; we now can begin to analyze and understand the bigger picture of COVID-19, the impact of this public health emergency on the health of the nation overall and where we go from here.