At Mass Senior Care’s November 13th Annual Meeting in Worcester, a standing-room-only audience gathered to hear insights from Holly J. Norelli, MHHS, LNHA, Vice President of Quality and Regulatory Services at AHCA, as well as remarks from MSCA Board Chair Tom Lavallee and MSCA President Tara Gregorio.
Holly Norelli’s keynote presentation offered a comprehensive national regulatory update and an overview of AHCA’s Better Way Proposal. She walked members through AHCA’s key priorities and the policy agenda for 2025 and beyond, noting that “AHCA believes that its policy agenda, titled The Better Way, will deliver bold solutions for quality care during a time where we continue to face significant challenges that threaten our sector.” Norelli outlined AHCA’s advocacy for common-sense regulatory reform and reviewed the solutions that AHCA has advanced to the current Administration to help rationalize the regulatory environment. She also highlighted recent regulatory updates and federal agency reports that could have an impact on members.
Mass Senior Care’s Board Chair Tom Lavallee, Chief Operating Officer of Alliance Health Management, emphasized the Association’s appreciation for the dedicated individuals who deliver compassionate, high-quality care to older adults and individuals with disabilities, and reaffirmed the Association’s role as the leading voice for the long term care sector in Massachusetts. He highlighted the Association’s strong advocacy and presence, noting that MSCA staff now serve on or co-chair more than 25 state and national committees, ensuring that our expertise and perspective guide policy decisions, drive innovation, and strengthen the foundation of long term care for years to come.
A major milestone shared during Lavallee’s remarks was the continued growth of the Mass Senior Care Quality Partners provider-owned network, now with 106 participating member facilities. He also celebrated meaningful resident experiences occurring across member facilities, highlighting this summer’s Dream Flights program, where veteran residents took flight in restored WWII-era biplanes, providing them with an unforgettable tribute to their service.
Looking ahead, he reaffirmed the Association’s commitment to ensuring nursing facilities have the resources they need to provide quality resident care and support our strong, dedicated workforce. He recognized the Board’s ongoing focus on addressing workforce, reimbursement, and regulatory challenges, and expressed deep pride in all that the sector has accomplished together. He closed by thanking Tara Gregorio, the MSCA team, and his fellow Board Members for their dedication and leadership, and expressed gratitude for the opportunity to continue serving as Chairman for another year. Lavallee also thanked the Associate Members who generously sponsored the Annual Meeting, including CLA, ProCare LTC Pharmacy, and BakerTilly. Please click here to view a complete listing of the 2025 Annual Meeting Sponsors.
In her address to attendees, MSCA President & CEO, Tara Gregorio, thanked membership for their dedication and commitment to caring for older adults and people with disabilities. She provided an important update on the state of the sector, emphasizing key areas of access, workforce, resident outcomes, and financial reimbursement. She noted that the demand for services is growing, and we are seeing a shift to more medically complex patients. Regarding the financial and reimbursement landscape, she highlighted the challenges facilities face due to policies that will reduce Medicare fee for service nursing facility coverage. These include advances in Medical Telehealth Technology that reduce the need for Medicare FFS post-acute care and enable hospital at home and SNF at home initiatives. In addition, we continue to see a profound shift from traditional Medicare Fee for Service coverage to Medicare Advantage plans which pay significantly lower rates.
Gregorio noted that the Commonwealth’s nursing facilities are near capacity today with facilities currently operating at 91% occupancy as nursing facility care demand continues to grow. And, with the Commonwealth’s 75+ population expected to grow by more than 30% over the next decade, the crossover between available licensed beds and consumer demand is expected to occur within the next 5 to 10 years.
Gregorio highlighted that state investments in our workforce have enabled facilities to provide meaningful wage increases and expand career pathway strategies, which has resulted in yielding measurable results in reduced vacancy rates and Temporary Nursing Services (TNS) usage. At the same time, Gregorio indicated that there remain serious workforce challenges in both the short term due to federal immigration changes, and over the long term due to the projected alarming drop in the ratio of our typical workforce (age 18-44) to the 80+ population by 2050, which will have a dire impact on the caregiver shortage and access to care.
Gregorio announced that MSCA’s Board of Directors has directed the Association to launch a comprehensive quality improvement program. During the first year of the initiative, the focus will be on four priority areas: reducing hospitalizations, reducing unnecessary use of antipsychotics, reducing staff turnover, and strengthening falls-prevention practices.
Gregorio expressed that the sector remains strong and united, but financially fragile, as fiscal pressures persist. Federal cuts to the Commonwealth total $1.3 billion as a result of Congressional action and executive orders, and there is a Medicaid structural deficit of $1 billion due to higher than projected increases in cost of medical care, higher than expected Medicaid enrollment, and non-replacement of one-time COVID revenue. The state is exploring all options in FY2026 to manage the loss of $1.3 billion in Federal funding cuts and the $1 billion Medicaid structural deficit. She stressed the importance of engaging with the Association’s grassroots advocacy efforts, participating in our action alerts, and reminding the Governor and the Administration that the need is real and we need to ensure that we continue to move forward.
This year, the Association was very pleased to recognize 30 member nursing facilities for their achievements in the 2025 AHCA/NCAL National Quality Awards program, including:
Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award
- Alliance Health at Doolittle
- Alliance Health at Maples
- Alliance Health at Rosewood
- Beaumont at Northborough
- Berkshire Rehab and Skilled Care Center
- Cambridge Rehabilitation and Nursing Center
- Cape Heritage Rehab and Health Care Center
- Cedar View Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center
- Chestnut Woods Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center
- Hebrew Rehabilitation Center at NewBridge on the Charles
- Hebrew Rehab Center - Recuperative Services Unit
- Holden Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center
- Life Care Center of Leominster
- Life Care Center of West Bridgewater
- Life Care Center of Wilbraham
- Mary Immaculate Nursing/Restorative Center
- MissionCare at Holyoke
- Oakdale Rehab and Skilled Nursing Center
- Shrewsbury Rehabilitation and Nursing at Southgate
- Sterling Village
- The Bostonian Nursing Care and Rehabilitation Center
- The Brentwood Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center
- The Highlands, A Life Care Center
- Whitney Place ALR at Northborough
- Whitney Place ALR at Westborough
- Whitney Place at Medway
Silver – Achievement in Quality
- Bentley Casa de Ramana
- Holy Trinity Nursing and Rehab Center
- Life Care Center of the North Shore
- Sherrill House
The recognition ceremony continued with Bill Bogdanovich, Chair of the Mass Senior Care Foundation Board of Directors, and President and CEO of Broad Reach Healthcare, announcing the 2025 Foundation Scholars. We very much appreciate the ongoing support of our members and vendors and in particular, our top tier sponsors, Premier Sponsor, CLA; Gold Sponsor, Marquis Health Consulting Services; and Silver Sponsors, Life Care Centers of America, RegalCare Management, and The Massachusetts Chapter of the American College of Health Care Administrators, as well as the companies, organizations and individuals who lend their financial support to help us achieve the Foundation’s mission, including our Flagship Scholarship Program.
The Foundation would like to extend its appreciation to the 2025 Scholarship Program Judges:
- Leslie Darcy, MassHealth Office of Long Term Services and Supports, Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
- Tara Gregorio, Mass Senior Care Association
- Rebekah Lashman, Rebekah Lashman Consulting
- Lauren Peters, Center for Health Information and Analysis
- Jay Prosser, Massachusetts Nursing Council on Workforce Sustainability, UMass Chan Medical School
We thank the judges for reviewing over 70 applications and playing such an important role in the scholarship program process. This year, the Foundation is pleased to award 26 Scholars a total of $62,500. The full list of 2025 Foundation awardees can be found here.
MSCA Board Chair Tom Lavallee, returned to the stage to present the 2025 Better Life Award to Dr. Larissa Lucas, a board-certified internal medicine physician and the Medical Director of the Extended Care Program within the Mass General Brigham Medical Group on the North Shore, as well as a consultant with Care Dimensions Hospice and Palliative Care. She is a certified AMDA-PALTC Medical Director and a Certified Hospice Medical Director. Dr. Lucas is an extraordinary clinician and leader, whose strength of purpose, resilience, and compassion has supported the clinical, caregiving, and emotional needs of residents, their families, and staff. She serves as the Medical Director for many Mass Senior Care member facilities, and the Association is proud to honor her as the 2025 Better Life Award recipient.
During the Annual Business Meeting, Kevin Morris, Association Treasurer and President & CEO of BaneCare Management, presented the 2026 Association Budget and Matt Salmon, Association Immediate Past Chair and CEO of SALMON Health & Retirement presented the Slate of Officers and Members-at-Large, all of which were unanimously approved. Tom Lavallee, Chief Operating Officer, Alliance Health Management, was re-elected Chair, Kevin Morris, President and CEO, BaneCare Management, was elected Vice-Chair, Zofia Long, Divisional Vice President, Life Care Centers of America, was elected Treasurer, and Sharon Donaghue, Division President, Marquis Health Consulting Services, was re-elected Clerk.
Board Members-at-Large elected to a three-year term beginning January 1, 2026, include:
- Angela Bovill, President & CEO, Ascentria Care Alliance
- Krista Grace, MD, CMO, Athena Health Care Systems
- William Jones, President, Integritus Healthcare
- Mathew Muratore, Founding Partner, EF Senior Care; President EF Investment Company
- Steven Raso, Principal and CEO, Landmark Management Solutions
- Gilbert Thisse II, Director of Operations, Rehabilitation Associates
- Steven Tyer, Administrator, Copley at Stoughton
The afternoon session, From Risk to Resilience: Preventing Falls and Protecting Your Facility was moderated by Helen Magliozzi, MSCA Director of Regulatory Affairs, and included presentations by Katherine Saunders, Director, Division of Quality Improvement, Bureau of Health Care Safety & Quality, Massachusetts, DPH and Michelle O’Neill, Aging Services Risk Control Director, CNA Insurance Group. The session concluded with a Falls Prevention Best Practice Provider Panel. Mass Senior Care appreciates the participation of the below member facilities for speaking on the panel:
- Alliance at Braintree – Rob Grady, Colby Williams
- Life Care Center of Attleboro – Danielle MacMillan, Patrick O’Connor
- St. Mary’s Health Care Center – Ron Doty, Jonathan Gonzalez
- Sherrill House – Lorene Begley, Alessio Miniello
- The Pavilion Rehabilitation & Nursing Center – Rachael McCullough