Excellence in the Field of Aging Awards

The North Carolina Association on Aging announced the winners of the 2010 Excellence in the Field of Aging Awards on April 28, 2011 during the Excellence in Aging Awards Luncheon at the NCAOA Annual Training Conference at the Downtown Marriott in Greensboro.  Congratulations to Jo Ellen Needham, Jerry Passmore and Dr. William R. (Bill) Purcell seen below accepting their awards from Award Committee Chair Stacie Shatzer.

Supervisor of the Year—Management Excellence Award: This award honors a Supervisor for quality supervisory skills in the management of programs and staff that provide benefits to older adults.  Jo Ellen Needham was first employed by Randolph County Senior Adults Association, Inc. (RCSAA) in October of 2000 as the Information & Assistance Program (I&A) Assistant.  With little computer experience she assisted the I&A Director in the development of a county-wide resource document and was responsible for keeping it updated.  In 2003 she was promoted to the I&A Director position.  She is a certified Information & Assistance Specialist and currently oversees the following programs:  SHIIP (Seniors Health Insurance Information Program); Prescription Assistance Program; Caregiver Services; Information & Assistance phone referral program; Case Assistance; Rise ‘n Shine telephone reassurance program; the Heat Relief Program; Medicare Part D Enrollment; and, the S.A.L.T (Seniors and Law Enforcement Together) Program. In 2010 the I&A Program responded to over 3,900 phone calls; provided assistance to almost 2,500 clients through the SHIIP program by providing over 1,600 hours of service through staff and volunteers; assisted over 100 individuals with prescription drug assistance; assisted over 850 Caregivers and their families; provided Case Assistance to over 2,200 individuals; and distributed over 200 fans to eligible seniors. Jo Ellen is a 2005 graduate of the Randolph County Leadership Class, and in 2007 she and her assistant were awarded the SHIIP Coordinators of the Year Award.

Executive of the Year—Leadership Excellence Award: This award honors a Chief Executive/Administrative Officer for the quality of leadership and organizational management they provide to their organization and to the aging network.  Jerry Passmore, Director of the Orange County Department on Aging for over 30 years, retired as of June 30, 2010.  Throughout his tenure, the Department has been a leader not only within the state, but also outside of it – including being a model for organizations in other countries.  The Orange County Department on Aging focuses on the whole person with multiple issues that change over one’s lifespan.  It has won many awards, including the National Association of Counties and two state Division of Aging and Adult Services’ Ernest B. Messer awards for outstanding programs in aging services. The Department on Aging won “Best Practice Award” in April from the Southern Gerontological Society. It recognized the unique partnership between the UNC Hospitals-Chapel Hill and the Department, especially in the creation of the cost-effective and therapeutically effective services for older adults trying to remain independent. Since January of 2010 until his June 30th retirement, Mr. Passmore led the Department in a number of ventures that improved the quality of resources for Orange County’s older adults.  These included implementing computerized class registration, computer-monitoring health care screenings for participants, a six-part series for Boomers and Beyond –Aging 101, the Second Annual Senior Resource Fair, the “In Praise of Age” television program aired weekly on the UNC public network and numerous others. Mr. Passmore is a member of the National Council in Aging, the Southern Gerontological Society, and the NC Public Transportation Association.

Elected Official of the Year—Service Excellence Award: This award honors an elected official who has made significant contributions that address and elevate issues important to the field of aging.  The elected official has championed senior causes through advocacy, legislation, appropriations, or other methods that make a positive impact on public policy. Dr. William R. (Bill) Purcell, Senator William R. Purcell, Scotland County physician, Laurinburg Mayor, and North Carolina State Senator has devoted his life to service for others.  Issues surrounding health, healthcare and wellness have been a lifelong interest and source of commitment for Senator Purcell.   He has championed preventive health measures for older persons in many ways.    He was a key supporter of the use of Health and Wellness Trust Fund Commission funding to establish medication management centers for older persons across the state.   He has also worked to secure funding for wellness education programs for arthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes and heart disease.   Further, he has worked to eliminate health disparities for diverse populations. As a member and Chair of the Study Commission on Aging, Senator Purcell listened to the concerns of advocates and older persons across the state in developing recommendations that later became law.    His work directly led to the implementation of criminal background checks for workers in long-term care settings, to increased funding for the regional long-term care ombudsman program and to recognition of the many issues facing mixed populations in adult care homes. Senator Purcell has been recognized as one of the true “go-to” legislators on aging issues for many years, the senator has lent his voice to many “aging” projects and programs sponsored by AARPNC, the Division of Aging and Adult Service, Healthy Carolinians, the North Carolina Association of Area Agencies on Aging and the UNC Institute on Aging.

Excellence in the Field of Aging Awards are granted annually by the NC Association on Aging to deserving nominees with constituency to the Association. Nominations are sought in the first quarter of the calendar year for the previous year, and awarded at the Annual Conference held in April.