The Aging and Disability Business Institute and National Council on Aging announced the selection of Lutheran Services in America and 10 other community-based organizations (CBOs) and networks to participate in the 2020 Medicare Advantage Learning Collaborative. Participants selected:

• Alleghenies United Cerebral Palsy, PA
• Appalachian Agency for Senior Citizens, VA
• Atlanta Regional Commission AAA, GA
• ElderSource, FL
• Hospice of the Bluegrass, Inc. dba Bluegrass Care Navigators, KY
• Lutheran Services in America, DC
• MAG Aging & Family Services, UT
• Meals on Wheels California, CA
• NC Center for Health and Wellness at UNC Asheville, NC
• Resource Center for Independent Living, Inc., NY
• Washington Association of Area Agencies on Aging, WA

Over the next six months, these participants will be engaged in a curriculum focused on building the knowledge and skills needed to successfully pursue contracts with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans for home and community-based services. Supported by targeted technical assistance, a peer learning network and a platform to share learnings, participants will come away from the learning collaborative with increased knowledge of MA plans, a broader understanding of MA plans’ quality and performance drivers, knowledge of promising practices for MA plan contracting and a customized value proposition.

The Commonwealth Fund featured a story on LSA Senior Connect as part of a focus on the merits of community-based organizations in their January 2020 newsletter. LSA Senior Connect is a service coordination platform that offers a unique, national solution in a fragmented health and human services landscape. The program is being piloted among 465 residents of a low-income senior housing facility in Toledo, Ohio. Staff social workers were trained to conduct a comprehensive screening of residents’ mobility and functional skills, home safety and security, nutrition, transportation, and social engagement. Lutheran Services in America President and CEO Charlotte Haberaecker notes that the program’s goal is to identify folks before they become high need.

Scroll down to “The Role of Community-Based Organizations” section to read the article.

The latest issue of Living Lutheran magazine features Lutheran Services in America’s Results Innovation Lab and how the program equips leaders with the skills necessary to improve health, safety, stability and education for 20,000 at-risk youth by 2024. Lutheran Services in America President and CEO Charlotte Haberaecker notes how the Lab’s participants come out of these intense, interactive trainings with a better understanding on how to create strategic partnerships in addressing challenges that face the communities they serve. Due to the program’s success, Lutheran Services in America expects to add more participants to the Lab for a total of 50 member organizations in 40 states.

Read the article published in the January 2020 issue of Living Lutheran.