The National Center for Health and the Aging (supported in part by a cooperative agreement grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration), provided training and technical assistance to strengthen the capacity of federally-funded health centers to increase access to health care, eliminate health disparities, and enhance health care delivery for the 39 billion or 13 percent of the residents of the United States were 65 years of age and older.

Because of the unique needs and common barriers of social determinants of health, elderly require intense and targeted outreach and assistance to access health services. To increase the capacity and improve the performance of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) supported health center grantees and other safety net providers in meeting the specialized health care needs of the elderly, The National Center for Health and the Aging has developed materials for training and education; disseminated best practices; mentored new grantees with an emphasis on HRSA service priorities; completed analytic studies on the needs of the elderly and best practices to meet those needs.

The National Center for Health and the Aging became part of the National Center for Community Strategies in the fall of 2016.