GPNYC’s Secretary Meg LaPorte Attends Consumer Voice’s 50th Anniversary Conference

This year, the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care celebrated a milestone—50 years of steadfast advocacy for older adults and people living in long-term care settings. The annual conference highlighted Consumer Voice’s enduring commitment to advancing strong public policies, empowering residents and families, training advocates, and elevating the essential role of direct-care workers.

Consumer Voice began as the National Citizens’ Coalition for Nursing Home Reform (NCCNHR), formed after citizen groups and ombudsman programs convened in Washington, D.C. Visionary advocate Elma Holder served as the principal organizer and founding executive director, leading the Coalition for more than two decades.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, NCCNHR played a critical role in shaping national and local advocacy on behalf of nursing home residents and workers. Holder herself brought deep experience from the National Council on Aging, Ralph Nader’s Retired Professional Action Group, the National Gray Panthers, and the National Paralegal Institute—where she led the first nursing home advocacy training program for state ombudsmen.

This pioneering group of women helped pave the way for OBRA ’87, the landmark Nursing Home Reform Act that established foundational rights and protections for residents nationwide.

Since 1993, Consumer Voice has also operated the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center, continuing its work to support, educate, and strengthen the long-term care advocacy network across the country.