WASHINGTON – Today U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, was awarded the American Geriatrics Society's (AGS) "David H. Solomon Distinguished Public Service Award" in recognition of his efforts to improve the welfare of older adults.

"In recent years we have made progress on policy that will help make the lives of all Americans a little better as they grow older. We still have a lot of work ahead of us to improve our nation's nursing homes, lower the cost of health care, and increase retirement security for all," Kohl said.  "I'm honored to receive this award and will continue my efforts to further the ideals it represents."

Kohl was honored for his advocacy on a wide range of issues that affect older Americans. They cited his "Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act" and his leadership in holding an Aging Committee hearing highlighting the importance of developing new grant programs to increase understanding of geriatrics across all practitioners as critical to shaping new geriatric policy. Much of the "Retooling the Health Care Workforce for an Aging America Act" is now federal law, enacted as part of the health care reform law.

The David H. Solomon Distinguished Public Service Award was established in 2002 to recognize outstanding commitment to public service and to advance the quality of healthcare for older adults. AGS created the award to honor Dr. Solomon in recognition of his commitment to community service and to the advancement of our knowledge of caring for older adults.  Dr. Solomon is the founding Director of the Center on Aging at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  He is known for his excellence in research, teaching, patient care, and administration.