A champion of rights for older LGBTQ+ people has received recognition for her volunteer work in Oregon.

Liz James is the winner of the AARP Andrus Award for Community Service, thanks to her engagement in a number of efforts to improve the health and equity of LGBTQ+ residents of the state. She said volunteering is a vital part of her life.

"Volunteering gives me purpose, social connection, opportunities to learn and grow, and to make a difference."

James lives in southern Oregon. She is chair of the Oregon LGBTQ+ Aging Coalition, chair of the Rogue Valley Council of Governments Joint Senior Advisory Council, and a volunteer with AARP Oregon.

James stressed LGBTQ+ people are not a monolith and they exist everywhere, not as a single community but many communities. She acknowledged there are specific health risks and needs for LGBTQ+ people and discrimination affects their living conditions. She added poverty and suicidal ideation are higher for them.

"Data shows we're twice as likely to be single and living alone," James noted. "We're more likely to be estranged from family. We're half as likely to have a relative to call. We're four times less likely to have children and almost one and a half times more likely to be primary caregivers."

James was instrumental in passing Senate Bill 99, which established a bill of rights in long-term and community-based care facilities for LGBTQ+ residents and residents living with HIV.

"First of all, it prescribes very specific nondiscrimination protections that have to be physically posted and provided to all residents and adhered to," James outlined. "And there is an accountability for violations built into it."

She added the bill requires training for staff in long-term care facilities. James is serving on the LGBTQ+ subcommittee of the Governor's Commission on Senior Services, which was established by Senate Bill 99 and started this year.

As powerhouse Hurricane Milton nears the Florida coastline, communities in the Tampa Bay area are extending relief efforts initially launched for Hurricane Helene.

The Demps Law Firm at Wesley Chapel, north of Tampa, is one of many organizations leading relief donation drives for Hurricane Helene.

Cornelius Demps is now grappling with the daunting possibility of widespread devastation from Hurricane Milton. He said he would ask people to pray for all in the storm's path as they adjust to the ongoing need.

"The hurricane relief donation drive was supposed to end this Friday," Demps explained. "Instead, we're going to do it the rest of the month of October and we mainly need people just to donate what they can."

The law firm has been collecting essential items such as cleaning supplies, food and clothing with help from local groups like the NAACP in St. Petersburg and the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel. The firm is also working with Carmel Friendship Church to create an Amazon Wishlist so people who do not live in the area can donate as well.

As Hurricane Milton intensifies, Tampa Electric is prepared for widespread outages and extended restoration efforts.

Mary Lou Carn, a company spokesperson, noted their readiness, but warned Milton could cause more disruptions than Hurricane Helene.

"A storm of this magnitude will bring more outages and a longer restoration time than we had with Helene," Carn cautioned. "It's just a bigger, more powerful storm, so that is what we anticipate. Our customers should be prepared for widespread and extended outages."

Residents relying on life-sustaining equipment should have backup power ready and Tampa Electric advised unplugging nonessential devices to prevent surge damage. Tampa Electric has more than 5,000 utility workers in Florida from out of state, staged and ready to begin repairs once it is safe.


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As Florida recovers from Hurricane Helene, the state's network of Community Health Centers continues to provide crucial care statewide.

Community Health Centers see patients despite their ability to pay. Although some facilities avoided significant damage, the storm's widespread impact is straining resources, staff and patients. Clinics from Sarasota to the Panhandle are focused on rebuilding and restoring services.

Despite the storm's size and power, said Gianna Van Winkle, director of emergency management programs for the Florida Association of Community Health Centers, the centers largely avoided catastrophic damage.

"No total losses or anything like that," she said, "but at the same time, there's power loss, there's staff and patient impacts that are going to affect the way that these health centers operate in these days and weeks ahead."

In hard-hit rural areas, where resources and infrastructure are often limited, health centers operate mobile units and partner with county officials to deliver care and supplies. They're also collecting relief supplies to support workers affected by the storm.

Health centers along the Gulf Coast, including in Sarasota, faced significant flooding. Christine Coviello, chief advancement and engagement officer for CenterPlace Health, said its facilities avoided structural damage, but had to close for a day because staff members were unable to reach the clinics.

"The storm surge is what really got us," Coviello said. "The wind and the rain was something we could handle a lot better - but this time, the storm surge really affected those low-lying areas."

Telehealth, mobile units and backup power systems allowed many facilities to remain operational or quickly return to service. However, despite these healthcare facilities coming out largely unscathed, many staff members are struggling to recover from personal losses, while still being called to serve their communities.

A week after Hurricane Helene wreaked havoc across the Southeast, the North Carolina town of Boone is facing an uphill battle.

With many roads still impassable, widespread power outages and a "boil water" advisory in effect, the community is coming together to aid those most affected.

SOL Nation, a nonprofit focused on environmental and social justice, is helping with the recovery effort. Tiffany Fant, the organization's executive director, said the damage is twofold, with people in rural areas dealing with much of the impact.

"Within the city limits, the water's receded, the streets are OK; there are still some power outages but people are moving about," she said. "But then when you get further out into the county, there's still people stranded, roads blocked, some roads washed out."

Fant said SOL Nation is partnering with Cornerstone Summit Church to create a resilience hub. The church sanctuary has been converted into a donation center to receive and distribute resources. The group is also partnering with others in Charlotte to provide relief to other areas.

Fant explained SOL Nation's efforts focus not only on immediate relief but also long-term recovery. She added that it is training members who are closest to the community to continue these efforts after the immediate crisis has passed.

"No one is going to be able to rebuild and recover alone, in isolation," she said, "so it's going to take community to know who is unaccounted for, to know who's still stranded, to know who needs to get medical supplies, right? And that takes community. That takes knowing your neighbor."

She said anyone looking to help can visit SOL Nation's website at solnation.org, or the Cornerstone Summit Church website at cornerstonesummit.org.

Other relief efforts are also underway in Western North Carolina from local, state and federal partners. So far, the National Guard has performed more than 1,400 rescues.


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