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 Charles
Johnson brings a quiet dignity, resolve to role of Illinois Director of Aging
By Daniel Hines
Publisher
America’s Seniors/TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com
Springfield,
IL (SPECIAL)—Illinois has become a focal point for activity on behalf of
seniors in recent weeks.
First was the decision
by Governor Rod Blagojevich to seek Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
approval for the state to purchase prescription drugs from Canada.
This was the largest and most prominent entity to threaten the
Great Wall that the FDA has attempted to build to prevent prescription
reimportation from Canada.
But while the Governor
has taken the headlines with his trailblazing (and, we believe)
progressive actions, there is another aspect of a new approach on behalf
of the state’s seniors taking place much more quietly in the person of
the new Director of Aging, Charles Johnson.
Director Johnson brings a quiet
dignity and resolve to his new role, the culmination of decades of service
on behalf of Illinois seniors. Most recently he was in charge of senior
activities in a nine-county area in the highly populous Northeastern
Illinois region.
But as one talks with
Director Johnson today, it becomes readily apparent that all the
recognized leadership he has shown for more than 30 years—he is a widely
respected advocate for seniors—was preparation for the opportunity that
now awaits him.
The state, like others
across the nation, is facing a fiscal crisis.
It was the looming deficit that, among other things, prompted
Governor Blagojevich to seek ways of cutting budgets with no loss of
quality or safety for state employees—hence the decision to consider the
use of Canadian prescriptions.
In much the same way,
Director Johnson believes that innovation, new approaches and cooperative
efforts can provide similar results for Illinois seniors.
He points with
justifiable pride to reducing expenditures that were being mismanaged in
the previous administration. He
also points to improvements in the state’s Circuit Breaker program,
which provides tax relief for Illinois seniors.
He also has a dream to
make Illinois a retirement haven, pointing out that the state has many
advantages to offer seniors. Recently,
such a retirement village was successfully opened in the Chicago area.
“Many people who
leave the state often get homesick,” Director Johnson explains.
“They miss the change of seasons, the things that made the feel
at home in the first place…if we can provide the amenities and
conditions that show that we welcome seniors, we get an added benefit of
economic development.”
Director Johnson says
that he recognizes there are many issues affecting seniors, but he
doesn’t look at them merely as problems.
To him, seniors represent a resource with a contribution to make.
For those who are not able to participate to such an extent, he
believes that there is an opportunity to improve the well-being of the
community as a whole by serving those seniors’ needs.
He strongly supports
the Governor’s initiatives to assist seniors.
He points to improved elder abuse legislation aimed at protecting
the state’s seniors…the improved Circuit Breaker…the call for FDA
approval of prescriptions from Canada…and what he describes as a high
degree of sensitivity towards seniors issues.
”The Governor is an American Success Story,” he reflects.
“He’s the son of immigrants who has become the Governor of one
of the leading states in the country.
“And, he’s brought
the values to the role that his parents instilled in him.
He really relates to seniors needs.”
Director Johnson
believes that there will be increased opportunities for educational and
cooperative efforts on behalf of seniors with a number of segments of the
Illinois landscape.
During our visit, for example, the question of educating seniors about the
proper use of prescriptions was discussed.
Jeremy Cockerill, pharmacy manager for Universal Drug Store (a
sponsor of TodaysSeniorsNetwork.com) suggested that there might be
publications that UDS could assist with as part of its extended commitment
to working with US seniors.
So don’t be
surprised if in the near future, Illinois seniors are the beneficiaries of
a much-needed educational program made possible by Director Johnson’s
quiet, results-oriented work that requires thinking ‘outside the box.’
And,
rest assured that it will all be done in the quiet, dignified manner of a
man who is determined to make the most of this once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to serve Illinois seniors. |
