Our 2021 Annual Report highlights the Alliance and Foundation’s achievements over the past 12 months.
Responding to COVID
Since the onset of the pandemic and the declarations of federal and state emergencies, the Home Care Alliance of Massachusetts shifted much of its attention and resources to COVID-19-related membership support. To that end,
the Alliance:
- Distributed donated PPE valued at over $150,000 through multiple distributions of free hand-sanitizer, gloves, gowns, face shields, and other PPE through a partnership with the Massachusetts Health & Hospitals Association and offered PPE at a competitive group discount price through our partnership with American Advertising Specialties.
- Published 50 special member newsletters devoted exclusively to COVID topics – issued daily during the height of the public health emergency.
- Worked with the Betsey Lehman Center on a PPE video series specific to home care and prepared an accompanying CEU PowerPoint and test for agencies to use alongside the video, including: Don/Doff PPE, Infection Control in the Home, and Video Pre/Post Test with Answers.
- Developed two educational flyers on COVID for members to leave in the homes of clients/patients. The “Safe Holiday” flyer encouraged safe social distancing during holiday celebrations, and the “Wear Your Mask” brochure reinforced safety with patient families when a home care worker was in the house. The “Wear Your Mask” brochure was also translated into Spanish.
- Advocated on social media when home care was excluded from the first round of health care worker vaccines. This generated more than 150 tweets (from over 40 accounts) and resulted in Governor Baker recognizing home care at a press event and moving up vaccine access date.
- Worked with the MHA Post-Acute Care Transitions workgroup on a universal pre-discharge COVID testing protocol.
- Offered regular calls for CEOs of certified and private care agencies to share and learn from each other, as well as calls for clinical directors, HR mangers, and hospice directors.
- Secured the continuation (post-COVID) State of Emergency of Medicaid coverage of telehealth visits.
- Answered hundreds of member regulatory questions related to the pandemic.
- Hosted a COVID-19 Resource page that includes Allied member COVID resource services and that generated more than 6,500 unique page views.
Other 2020-2021 Work
Among the member supportive services over the past twelve months, the Alliance and Foundation have:
- Succeeding in passing a FY 21 budget request for $17 million in money for home health aides and homemakers.
- Helped to establish, and was appointed to, a commission to create a framework for licensure of private home care for the state Legislature to consider.
- Completely revamped both our Find-an-Agency and our Allied member online directories with more information per company, and in a more readily accessible, clearer format.
- Hosted dozens of member webinars , such as: Paid Family Medical Leave Benefit, the Medicare Home Infusion Benefit, Payroll Protection Loans, ICD-10 Comprehensive Coding
- Worked with Mass EOEA on a plan for EVV roll out
- Worked with MassHealth on rewriting home health program regulations.
- Featured video interviews with agency leaders of color for Black History Month.
Read the full report below.
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