Hebrew SeniorLife Awarded $500K Grant from Mass. Health Policy Commission

BOSTON – Harvard Medical School-affiliated Hebrew SeniorLife (HSL), a nonprofit organization committed to improving the lives of older adults in the Greater Boston area and beyond, has been awarded a $500,000 grant by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission (HPC) for its successful “R3 Initiative,” more formally known as “Right Care, Right Place, Right Time: Effectively Integrating Senior Care and Housing.”

The R3 Initiative was selected as one of 15 innovative, winning proposals in HPC’s highly competitive SHIFT-Care Challenge, which invests in evidence-based health care delivery models. This marks the second time that Hebrew SeniorLife has been recognized by HPC for its work in affordable senior housing.

According to HSL President and CEO Lou Woolf, “We see great promise in our R3 initiative as both a local and national model. The fact that the Commonwealth’s Health Policy Commission has twice recognized R3 is further proof that we are on track in introducing a new integrated model of housing and health care that highly benefits our seniors in a very cost-effective manner.” “With this additional grant, we will continue to have a tremendous impact on residents and their families, and have the opportunity to enhance the model based on what we’ve learned over the past 18 months,” said Kim Brooks, Chief Operating Officer of Senior Living at HSL.

“With the SHIFT-Care Challenge investments, we continue the HPC’s commitment to promoting sustainable, transformative care models that reduce the overuse of expensive sites of care, a known contributor to the high cost of health care in Massachusetts,” said David Seltz, HPC Executive Director. “By focusing on social and behavioral health needs in our communities, these innovative projects will enable these patients to receive more holistic person, family, and community-centered care.”

Debuting in 2016, R3 integrates health care and affordable senior housing in the Greater Boston area. Embedded wellness teams and community organizations partner to support senior independence, prevent or reduce hospital and long-term care transfers, and maintain quality of life. HSL has been measuring and tracking every stage of the R3 pilot to establish a best-practice model that redefines and integrates senior affordable housing and healthcare for the overall benefit of seniors, with an eye toward creating a sustainable, replicable national model that improves quality of care and reduces costs.

Senior living communities participating in R3 include:

• Center Communities of Brookline (3) and Simon C. Fireman Community – Hebrew SeniorLife
• The Village at Brookline – WinnCompanies
• Winter Valley and Unquity House - Milton Residences for the Elderly

About Hebrew SeniorLife

Hebrew SeniorLife, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, is a national senior services leader uniquely dedicated to rethinking, researching and redefining the possibilities of aging. Founded in Boston in 1903, the nonprofit, non-sectarian organization today provides communities and health care for seniors, research into aging, and education for geriatric care providers. For more information about Hebrew SeniorLife, visit http://www.hebrewseniorlife.org, follow us on Twitter @H_SeniorLife, like us on Facebook or read our blog.