After 19 years at Springwell including the past six as CEO, Ruth Beckerman-Rodau is resigning to explore the next chapter of her career. One of her important roles prior to being CEO was formalizing the annual and strategic planning process that supports ongoing quality improvement across the agency. Beckerman-Rodau’s mantra as CEO has been to “strengthen the core” of the organization. “A strong core makes us nimble to engage in new opportunities to support individuals with the social determinants of health that provide them the capacity to live independently.”

Springwell, since its inception over 40 years ago, has been known as an organization that helps senior citizens access public programs. Currently, the agency helps people of all ages access housing, nutrition, heat, transportation and medical care – all key components that are vital to well-being. Many programs have expanded to include people who are low income and need support but don’t meet the full financial eligibility requirements of MassHealth. The shift in the populations that Springwell serves began when federal and state strategies recognized that Medicare and Medicaid costs could be reduced by increasing proactive programs to improve the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.

With these changes, Springwell’s expertise, in identifying and accessing the public and private resources to support social determinants of health, has made them a sought after partner for health care organizations. One example of this work is Springwell’s award winning partnership with Beth Israel Lahey Health to provide health coach staff who work one on one with patients who are struggling to manage chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and COPD. The program includes a comprehensive assessment, education around the causes and risks associated with the chronic illness, development of patient-centered goals and support to reach those goals. Coaches work closely with pharmacists, community resource staff and the primary care team to maximize success.

In the past six years, Beckerman-Rodau has led the efforts to bring additional staff to the organization that allows them to be nimble and deliver the highly valued resources that help so many people.  The new CEO will be well poised to greet ongoing shifts to managed care, such as accountable care organizations, because Springwell can partner with healthcare organizations to support the triple AIM of increased quality, increased satisfaction and reduced cost.