Tag Archive for: PACE Expansion

Caregivers play key roles at the new Fallon elder care location in Dartmouth. Here’s why.

This article was originally published on South Coast Today.

For the first time, older adults and caregivers in Southeastern Massachusetts can access the services offered by the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly so that they can live in their home community with dignity.

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Fallon Health Expands Elder Care Access with First PACE Program in Southeastern Massachusetts

This article was originally published on Fallon Health.

New Dartmouth Location Opens with Powerful Community Conversation on Caregiving and Aging with Dignity

Dartmouth, Mass., Nov. 5, 2025―Fallon Health celebrated a major milestone with the launch of its Summit ElderCare® program in Dartmouth, bringing the first Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) to Southeastern Massachusetts. The opening event, Care begins here: A conversation about caregiving, convened state leaders, health care experts, and community advocates to spotlight the vital role family caregivers play and the transformative impact PACE has on older adults.

Held during National Family Caregivers Month, the event took place at Fallon Health’s newest Summit ElderCare location in Dartmouth and featured a compelling conversation about the challenges of caregiving and resources available to family caregivers. It also featured a special address from Governor Maura Healey, who emphasized the importance of expanding access to comprehensive services for older adults.

“In Massachusetts, we are committed to ensuring that our older residents can age with dignity, independence and peace of mind,” said Governor Healey. “Programs like Fallon Health’s Summit ElderCare are lifelines for families—allowing older adults to age independently with access to high quality medical care, and giving caregivers the support they so urgently need. It’s great to see this innovative model expand in Southeastern Massachusetts, and we are proud to support Fallon Health’s efforts.”

Manny Lopes, President and CEO of Fallon Health, added insights on the impact of Summit ElderCare and the organization’s commitment to community-based care.

“This expansion reflects our commitment to meeting people where they are—at home, in their communities, and with the support they need to thrive,” said Lopes. “Summit ElderCare is more than a program. It’s a promise to older adults and their caregivers that they’re not alone.”

Fallon Health has been providing care for older adults with complex medical needs—and the caregivers who support them—since 1995. Summit ElderCare, Fallon Health’s PACE program, is designed to help older adults live independently while receiving comprehensive medical care and social support. With 7 Summit ElderCare locations across Massachusetts—including the new location in Dartmouth—Fallon Health reinforces its longstanding commitment to innovative, community-based elder care.

Element Care PACE Appoints New COO and CGRO to Drive Next Phase of Growth

This article was originally published on Element Care.

Element Care PACE Appoints New COO and CGRO to Drive Next Phase of Growth Lynn, MA – August 19, 2025 – Element Care, a leading Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and managed care provider for Senior Care Options (SCO), is pleased to announce the appointment of Calay Ip, as the organization’s new Chief Operating Officer (COO). Calay is a highly accomplished and results-oriented healthcare executive with over 20 years of leadership experience driving strategic implementation, optimizing program design, and enhancing financial performance within complex healthcare organizations, with prior experience in Massachusetts’ PACE and SCO programs.

Calay is an expert in scaling operations for financial improvement and operational growth in senior care programs. With her deep knowledge of PACE and SCO programs, she will implement strategic growth initiatives, optimize program operations, and enhance business performance for meaningful outcomes at Element Care. Her extensive expertise includes key leadership roles at Point32 Health, and Mass General Brigham Health Plan, where she established herself as an industry leader in healthcare innovation and operational excellence. Calay holds a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) from Boston University Graduate School of Management with a specialization in Health Sector Management. She worked previously as the Vice President of Senior Care Programs at Neighbor Health in East Boston.

“In my over two decades of leadership experience across healthcare segments including PACE, SCO, and Medicaid, I’ve found my niche in optimizing operational scalability and leading senior care programs through phases of rapid growth,” said Calay Ip, COO at Element Care. “I’m honored to join Element Care and make an impact alongside a dedicated team that pushes forward the company’s vision of compassionate, affordable, coordinated care for seniors.”

“We’re excited to welcome Calay as our new COO, a leader with a proven track record of executing scalable operations and driving high performance initiatives. With Calay’s dedication to optimizing operations within senior care programs, we are confident that she will continue to grow our unique care model for seniors in Massachusetts,” said Douglas Thompson, CEO at Element Care.

The appointment comes as Mary Ellen Dugan, former COO, takes on a new role as Chief Government Relations Officer (CGRO). In this role, Mary Ellen will lead the company’s efforts in building and maintaining strong relationships with federal, state, and local government officials and regulators, serving as a key advocate in Element Care’s mission. Mary Ellen has over 25 years of leadership experience within the healthcare sector, focusing her career on serving marginalized populations in government funded settings. She has spearheaded multi-year major capital expansion projects, including the successful development of three PACE centers and the relocation of Element Care’s corporate headquarters.

“Throughout my career, I’ve been committed to improving care for vulnerable and underserved populations, and my time at Element Care has only deepened that commitment,” said Mary Ellen Dugan, CGRO at Element Care. “I look forward to continuing to serve our PACE community in a different capacity by advocating for policies that will expand access to this life-changing model of care.”

“As we plan for our next phase of strategic growth at Element Care, strong, visionary leadership is crucial. Mary Ellen has been instrumental in shaping our success for the past 15 years, and in her new role as CGRO she will advocate for PACE and SCO models of care and strengthen our voice with policymakers,” said Thompson.

For more than 30 years, Element Care has provided the highest quality comprehensive healthcare to thousands of at-risk seniors. Currently, Element Care serves over 1,100 PACE participants and 1,850 SCO members across communities in Essex County, Merrimack Valley, and Greater Boston. PACE is a federally funded health care program that offers a range of services including preventive, primary, acute and long-term care.

About Element Care

Element Care is a non-profit healthcare organization with a simple mission: to help older adults live safely and comfortably in their homes and communities for as long as they can, keeping their stays in hospitals and nursing facilities as minimal as possible. Founded in 1994, Element Care’s PACE program was established as a joint venture of the Lynn Community Health Center and Greater Lynn Senior Services to bring PACE to seniors in the community. In 2004, Element Care partnered with Commonwealth Care Alliance to provide comprehensive clinical case management to at-risk SCO members. The organization offers a holistic approach to care that includes medical, social, and wellness services tailored to the unique needs of each participant and member.

PACE provider myPlace sees insurer partners as key to growth: CEO

This article was originally published on Modern Healthcare.

Robbie Pottharst, CEO of myPlace Health, is out to woo Medicare and Medicaid insurers to expand its Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, or PACE, business…

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Providers lay out challenges to PACE expansion

This article was originally published on Modern Healthcare.

Executives said high start-up costs combined with complex federal and state requirements make it harder for them to grow a state and federal program aimed at keeping older adults out of nursing homes.

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How PACE is jockeying for position amid Medicaid cuts

This article was originally published on Modern Healthcare.

A federal-state program aimed at keeping older adults out of nursing homes could come out a winner under the new federal tax law.

Why PACE programs are joining forces with senior housing

This article was originally published on Modern Healthcare.

Operators of a program designed to keep older adults out of nursing homes are looking to attract enrollees by integrating with senior housing communities.

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Fallon Healths opens Framingham senior care centers

This article was originally published on Worcester Business Journal.

Worcester insurer Fallon Health has opened doors to its new Framingham older adult care location, further expanding the system’s reach into the MetroWest region.

Situated at 405 Cochituate Road, the new care center is part of Fallon’s Summit ElderCare program, the system’s iteration of the government-funded Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. PACE offers medical and social services to those 55 and older throughout Massachusetts and beyond.

Fallon’s Summit ElderCare site offers program participants services including physical and occupational therapies and provides shower and laundry facilities. The site features three exam rooms, lab and office space, and a conference room for care planning, according to a Tuesday press release.

The new center will provide adult day health services in collaboration with neighboring programs including Dia Feliz Adult Day Health Center, a Framingham-based multi-lingual health support services organization.

“One of the things that makes PACE so unique is our team-based approach to care. At our new location, participants and their families will have local access to many of our dedicated specialists, spending less time on the road and more time focused on their health and well-being,” Kristine Bostek, senior vice president of PACE programs, said in the release.

Summit ElderCare care centers offer medical care, social support, adult day health, and health insurance to seniors living with chronic care needs with many services offered in-home.

Established in 1995, Fallon Health’s PACE operates under the supervision of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

Fallon’s Framingham site marks the system’s sixth Summit ElderCare PACE center in the state, in addition to Leominster, Webster, Worcester, Lowell, and Springfield,, according to the program’s website.

With 129,688 members, Fallon Health is the seventh largest health insurer in Central Massachusetts when ranked by total Massachusetts members as of Dec. 31, 2023, according to data compiled by WBJ’s Research Department.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.

Federal Grants Available to Support PACE in Rural Communities

This article was originally published on NPA Online.

WASHINGTON, DC – JAN. 27, 2025 – The National PACE Association (NPA) is pleased to announce that the Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) has made available up to $2 million in federal grant funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025. This funding will support the expansion of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) into rural communities. The Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), along with important pre-registration and application requirements, can be accessed on Grants.gov. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. ET on April 17, 2025.

“The National PACE Association has advocated for this opportunity to expand PACE into rural areas, where it is sorely needed,” said NPA president Shawn Bloom. “PACE has a proven track record of improving care outcomes for older adults, and these grants provide the resources needed to reach populations in rural communities that can greatly benefit from this model of care.”

Through the Rural PACE Planning and Development Program, HRSA will make as many as four awards of up to $500,000 per year to assist with the development of initial Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) PACE programs in HRSA-designated rural areas or to expand existing certified CMS PACE programs into these areas through service area expansion (SAE). This initiative follows critical recommendations outlined in the 2023 policy report by the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services (NACRHHS), which benefited from contributions by NPA and PACE stakeholders.

HRSA will host a technical assistance webinar for prospective applicants on Feb. 11, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. ET. A recording is expected to be made available afterward. Additional information about the HRSA webinar can be found on Grants.gov under the Related Documents tab. NPA also plans to convene a webinar for its members to provide further insights into this opportunity. Details about the NPA webinar will be announced soon.

Eligible applicants include domestic public and private nonprofit or for-profit entities, including state, county and local governments, hospitals, and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), with demonstrated experience serving or having the capacity to serve rural underserved populations. Awards are expected to be announced by Sept. 1, 2025.

For additional details, refer to the NOFO on Grants.gov or contact Rural PACE at HRSA. NPA members also may reach out to Peter Fitzgerald, executive vice president of Policy and Strategy, or Katie Pahner, vice president of Regulatory Affairs, at NPA for more information.