Biography of Josefina Carbonell
Assistant Secretary for Aging
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Josefina Carbonell was sworn in as Assistant Secretary for Aging at
the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on August 8, 2001.
The Administration on Aging (AoA) is the federal focal point and
advocate agency for older Americans and their concerns. The AoA is
dedicated to preparing America to meet the challenges and to maximize
the opportunities presented by the longevity of its people. AoA
through its network that reaches into every community presents older
Americans and their families with: information and referral, outreach,
case management, transportation, personal care, home-delivered and
congregate meals, adult day care, elder abuse prevention, health
promotion, legal assistance, and other services. The AoA also provides
support for family caregivers of older persons who are chronically ill
or who have disabilities. In addition, AoA provides support and
fosters research, demonstration, and training programs to better serve
older Americans.
Prior to joining HHS, Carbonell was President and CEO of Little Havana
Activities & Nutrition Centers (LHANC) in Dade County, Florida, an
organization she helped establish in 1972. Carbonell’s leadership,
coupled with solid management skills, transformed the one-site agency
into the largest aging, health and nutrition project in Florida and
the largest Hispanic geriatric health and human service organization
in the nation. The LHANC currently operates 21 sites, serving more
than 55,000 registered clients.
During her tenure at LHANC, Carbonell led efforts to implement
Florida’s "Volunteer Health Professionals Program" and
established the Pro-Salud Clinic, a state pilot program providing
primary health care, preventive screening, health promotion and
medication control to older adults and their families. The Pro-Salud
Clinic has expanded to include a spectrum of health and wellness
programs specializing in geriatric and intergenerational health
services.
Carbonell is nationally recognized for her work and is the recipient
of numerous awards, including the 2001 Claude Pepper Community Service
Award, the 1997 Social Security Administration Commissioner’s Team
Award, the 1997 United Way Monsignor Bryan Walsh Outstanding Human
Service Award, the 1995 National Alliance for Hispanic Health
Community Service Award, the Miami Herald Charles Whited Spirit of
Excellence Award in 1993, and the 1992 Miami Citizen of Year Award.
Carbonell attended Florida International University and was the
recipient of a fellowship in health management at the John F. Kennedy
School of Government at Harvard University, and is an alumnus of the
Program for Senior Executives in State and Local Government.
Born in Cuba, Carbonell is a devoted daughter to her parents and proud
mother to her son, Alfredo, a physician completing his residency in
Michigan.
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