Suzanne Mintz, MS

Print this Article | Send to Colleague

She discovered that family caregivers are part of a "silent and neglected workforce," and that the impact of these situations extends to national health care and social policy.

Thus began her work to help family caregivers receive the recognition, training, support, assistance, and public policy attention they deserve. As co-founder of the National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA) in 1993, she has built the group into the nation’s premier organization in support of these unsung heroes.

She has served on numerous national advisory committees and boards related to family care giving and is a founding advisor of Consumers Advocating for Patient Safety and board member of the National Patient Safety Foundation. She also serves on the Board of Directors of URAC and the Advisory Task Force of the National Transitions of Care Coalition.

An author of several books and numerous articles about family caregivers, Suzanne is often quoted by the media and has testified before Congress multiple times. Policy makers and legislators regularly request her input to ensure that the family caregiver perspective is included in public policy initiatives. She was named a winner of The Purpose Prize® in 2006, a major initiative to invest in Americans 60 and older who are leaders of a new age of social innovation, and was the 2004 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Eli Lilly Welcome Back initiative.