Standout for equality and justice
Pittsfield — In order to stand up and speak out locally in opposition to the free speech rally scheduled to take place at Boston Common on Saturday, Aug. 19, Indivisible Pittsfield will hold a standout in Park Square on Saturday, Aug. 19, from 2 to 3 p.m. The public is invited to attend and is asked to remember that only handheld signs will be allowed – no poles, sticks or anything similar.
Indivisible Pittsfield stated: “Non-violent witnessing to the spirit of equality and justice. We must oppose the hatred coming from the White House, now giving open approval and support to racists, anti-semites, white supremacists and neo-Nazis.”
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Massachusetts community colleges unite against hatred
The following is a statement released by Massachusetts Community Colleges in light of the recent events in Charlottesville, Virginia, and signed by the presidents of the state’s 15 community colleges:
The Presidents of the 15 Community Colleges of Massachusetts unite to voice our opposition to the violence, bigotry, racism and hate we witnessed in Charlottesville, Virginia this past weekend, August 12-13, 2017.
The students on our campuses across the Commonwealth reflect the rich diversity of our nation. Our philosophy of teaching and learning has, at its core, the promise of inclusive excellence and social justice. We embrace our shared values of global citizenship and prize the richness of cultural wealth in our diverse communities. We respect people from all nations, cultures, background, and experience and welcome them to join our community of scholars and learners, for therein lies the hope and the future strength of our nation and our world.
We reject, in the strongest possible terms, hateful rhetoric, harmful actions, or attempts to diminish the values or identity of our community members, while remaining committed to the fundamental right of free speech. These actions will not gain a foothold on our campuses. We will provide safe and secure environments for our students, faculty and staff. We will continue to embrace the diversity that makes our institutions strong.
Our community colleges are democracy’s colleges. The teaching and learning that happen at our 15 colleges speaks to the immense compassion and potential that enrich our nation. In these times that test our resolve as leaders, we renew our pledge to our communities. You are all welcome and valued; your religion, race, ethnicity, language, citizenship, and gender are honored. We will continue to learn together. Hate has no place at our Massachusetts Community Colleges.
Sincerely,
Ellen L. Kennedy, president, Berkshire Community College
Laura L. Douglas, president, Bristol Community College
Pam Eddinger, president, Bunker Hill Community College
John L. Cox, president, Cape Cod Community College
Robert Pura, president, Greenfield Community College
Christina Royal, president, Holyoke Community College
David Podell, president, MassBay Community College
Charles Wall, president, Massasoit Community College
James C. Mabry, president, Middlesex Community College
James Vander Hooven, president, Mount Wachusett Community College
Patricia A. Gentile, president, North Shore Community College
Lane A. Glenn, president, Northern Essex Community College
Luis Pedraja, president, Quinsigamond Community College
Valerie R. Roberson, president, Roxbury Community College
John B. Cook, president, Springfield Technical Community College
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MassHealth partners with 17 organizations to improve care
Boston — The Baker-Polito administration announced Thursday that 17 health care organizations across the state have executed agreements to participate in a major restructuring of the MassHealth program. Effective March 1, 2018, accountable care organizations, networks of physicians, hospitals and other community-based health care providers will be financially accountable for cost, quality and member experience for over 850,000 MassHealth members.
The ACO program supports MassHealth’s commitment to:
- Improve quality and member experience and integrate the full spectrum of care including medical care, behavioral health and long-term services and supports,
- Provide clinical and community based support for populations with behavioral health and long-term health care needs,
- Shift incentives to hold providers accountable for quality and total cost of care for a population of patients,
- Invest in primary care and community workforce development,
- Allow for innovative ways of addressing social determinants of health, and
- Expand access to substance misuse disorder treatment including treatment for co-occurring disorders.
The ACO program is a major component in the state’s five-year 1115 Medicaid waiver, bringing in $1.8 billion in new federal investments to restructure the current MassHealth system. ACOs will receive more than $100 million in new investments throughout the remainder of 2017 to support the transition of health care providers providing value-based care. Funds will be used to:
- Enhance care coordination and management efforts through formal partnerships with certified behavioral health and LTSS community organizations,
- Improve electronic health records and ACO analytic capabilities,
- Reduce avoidable inpatient and emergency department utilization, and
- Implement other key initiatives for ACOs to improve health outcomes and member experiences under the new payment models.
Since December 2016, six ACOs have been participating in the MassHealth ACO pilot program covering approximately 160,000 members.
Member enrollment in ACOs will be based upon their relationship with their current primary care provider to ensure continuity of care. All ACO models support MassHealth’s commitment to invest in community-based organizations, referred to as certified community partners for behavioral health and long-term services and supports. These organizations will be announced by the end of August once the procurement process has been completed.
Additional information on MassHealth’s planned restructuring and payment reforms for its 1.9 million members may be found on the MassHealth Innovations website.
The development and implementation of the ACO program is being supported by Funding Opportunity Number CMS-1G1-12-001 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The contents provided are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HHS or any of its agencies.
