Senior Whole Health and The MolinaCares Accord Host Virtual Panel on Enhancing Senior Care and Wellness Through Place-Based Supports
Ben Jackey, Ben.Jackey@molinahealthcare.com, (502) 377-9484
BOSTON, July 9, 2024 – The MolinaCares Accord (“MolinaCares”), in collaboration with Senior Whole Health (“Senior Whole Health”), hosted a virtual panel on June 26 addressing how place-based supports (PBS) are improving health outcomes for seniors in Massachusetts. PBS brings non-clinical support, such as food distributions, crisis intervention, and group activities that decrease isolation, to housing sites, improving access to services impacting the well-being of older residents. to housing sites, improving access to services impacting the well-being of older residents.
Today, nearly 50% of older adults living alone lack the financial resources required to pay for basic needs including food, medicine, clothing, and hygiene products. Additionally, among people 50 and over, loneliness has been found to increase the risk of stroke by over 50%. Addressing these needs is an essential component to driving better health outcomes for seniors in the commonwealth and is a core component of the PBS model.
The panel was hosted by Bill Graham, plan president of Senior Whole Health, with keynote remarks from Emily Cooper, chief housing officer of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. Participants included Kim Brooks, executive vice president for senior living at Hebrew SeniorLife; Cheryl Schondek, chief operating officer for The Greater Boston Food Bank; Steven Beauregard, executive director of New Bedford Housing Authority; and Pam Bolarinho, vice president of acute care services for Child and Family Services.
“By integrating community health and well-being strategies into senior affordable housing sites, we can make a lasting impact on seniors by empowering them with resources to improve their health outcomes so they can lead healthy, fulfilling lives while remaining in their homes,” said Bill Graham. “To meet the needs of the senior population, stakeholders from across the health care industry and community must work together to address the unique challenges facing our senior population.”
During the event, panelists discussed the importance of food security, crisis intervention, behavioral health, the integration of resident and service providers into specialty housing, and more, through the lens of the PBS model. Senior Whole Health recently announced investments totaling $800,000 to support organizations providing PBS for residents of senior affordable housing sites, including those participating in the panel.
“Our agency, Elder Affairs, is committed to making sure older adults have access to the tools and resources they need to safely and independently age in community,” said Emily Cooper. “This includes increasing and enhancing place-based supports in senior affordable housing with an emphasis on the 110,000 subsidized apartments for older adults across the state that are operated by local housing authorities and private housing owners and property managers.”
The full panel discussion can be found here.
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About The MolinaCares Accord
Established by Molina Healthcare, Inc., The MolinaCares Accord oversees a community investment platform created to improve the health and well-being of disadvantaged populations by funding meaningful, measurable, and innovative programs and solutions that improve health, life, and living in local communities. The MolinaCares Accord funds such measures through the Molina Healthcare Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) established in 2020 by Molina Healthcare, Inc.
About Senior Whole Health by Molina Healthcare
Senior Whole Health, LLC provides government-funded, quality health care to low-income individuals under the Senior Care Options (SCO) program serving individuals enrolled MassHealth and dual eligibles enrolled in Medicare and MassHealth. Senior Whole Health is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Molina Healthcare, Inc., a Fortune 500 company that provides managed health care services under the Medicaid and Medicare programs, and through state insurance marketplaces. For more information about Senior Whole Health, visit MolinaHealthcare.com.