@NRCNA_engAging

September 15, 2020

@NRCNA_engAging

The Power of Partnerships to Drive Senior Nutrition COVID-19 

Response and Recovery

Part 1: Potent Partnerships in the Age of COVID-19

• August 31, 2020

Part 2: Mapping Your Partnerships Assets

• September 10, 15, 16 and 17, 2020

• Restaurants ✓

• Emergency Services

• Technology

• Food Systems

Visit: https://nutritionandaging.org/virtual-summer-series-2020/
@NRCNA_engAging

• Gain Insight:

• Into an example of a partnership – learn from their 

partnership story to glean ideas, and get inspired about 

possible partnerships of your own

• Consider Your Assets: 

• Spend some time thinking about your local partnership 

assets that can be engaged to seed a new collaboration 

or expand an existing initiative 

• Share Your Map, Learn From Peers, Stay Connected:

• Log on to NRCNAengage after the webinar to share, 

learn and carry on the conversation!
@NRCNA_engAging

NRCNAengage is an online venue for senior nutrition program staff 

across the country to connect, share and network with your peers!

Signing up is easy! 

Visit www.nrcna.mn.co

and click ‘Invite’!
@NRCNA_engAging

What reasons has your organization entered into 

strategic partnerships in the past / at present? Select 

all that apply.

• To target new audiences?

• To increase the range of services offered?

• To save on administrative costs?

• To increase credibility?

Other reasons? Please let us know in the chat box!
Mapping Your Partnership Assets

Food 911.... Now: SixtyPLUS

Leah Bunck, MSW

Assistant Director Nutrition 

Programs 

LifeCare Alliance

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Who is LifeCare Alliance?

Mission Statement

LifeCare Alliance leads our community in identifying and delivering health and nutrition 

services to meet the community's changing needs. 

About Us

• Located in Columbus, Ohio, LifeCare Alliance was founded in 1898 and currently 

provides a wide array of services, including home-delivered meals, congregate 

dining centers, diabetes counseling, homemaker services, and wellness centers.

• LifeCare Alliance delivers hot meals 365 days a year through its home-delivered 

meal congregate meals programs to over 8,000 consumers annually.

• LifeCare Alliance nutrition programs services five Ohio counties: four rural; one 

urban/suburban- Champaign, Franklin, Madison, Marion, and Logan

• LifeCare Alliance also has several “social entrepreneurship” ventures, including LA 

Catering, Corporate Wellness, and Adult Immunizations.

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The Situation

• Anticipating the “Silver

Tsumani” in Central

Ohio

• Deepen partnerships

with emergency

services, emergency

rooms, outpatient

rehab, and more

• Reduce healthcare cost

and readmissions/calls

to 9-1-1

9

60+

85+
How We Got Here!

• Learned about program in Texas at Meals on 

Wheels America Conference 

• Learned we could bill for RD counseling with our 

existing staff, had only been using them for OOA 

counseling

• Starting offering in home diabetes counseling 

and online referral system

• Lucky to have a former Mayor and State Rep join 

our staff to provide foot in the door

• Looming LTSS though Medicaid conversations 

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How We Got Here – Cont.

• Cast a wide net

• Looking for ways to continue partnerships, 

grow reach, and collect data on interventions

• Awarded an Innovations in Nutrition 

Programs and Services grant through 

Administration of Community Living

• Allows us to expand in home services to rural 

areas
Meet Inez

• 75-year-old female, lives alone, 

family lives in Maryland

• Diabetes, COPD, High Blood 

Pressure

• Loves her 2 Chihuahuas and 

the Price is Right

• Calls 9-1-1 every week because 

blood sugar spikes. 

• Forget to check blood sugar 

regularly. 

• Has a PCP, but often ends up in 

ER

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The Solution - SixtyPLUS

SixtyPLUS bridges the gap between the healthcare and communitybased service systems, to ensure the safety and wellbeing of seniors. 

Together, we can position our community to meet the growing 

demand of seniors.

• Through strategic partnerships with first responders, medical 

professionals, discharge planners, etc., LifeCare Alliance 

intervenes to provide non-emergency assistance in the home, 

reducing seniors’ reliance on excessive emergency resources. 

• A few basic helps in the home — such as meals, wellness checks, 

or diabetes management — can help seniors to remain safe, 

independent, and in their own homes, where they want to be!

• Partners will securely share relevant data with LifeCare Alliance to 

identify senior needs and, over time, measure improvements in 

both service delivery and client outcomes

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Impact for the Client

For Inez:

We all want Inez to improve/maintain her health

LifeCare Interventions:

• In home (or phone) assessment of needs; 

additional referral made as needed

• Offer him weekly frozen meals, selected with 

our dietitians to work with his diabetes

• Offer in home diabetes counseling at no cost 

to him

• Client reports falls in shower- shower chair 

provided through LifeCare

• Bring pet food to his dogs every other week

• Weekly wellness check- report on blood sugar 

testing

– Report back to Fire Department or PCP if client 

out of compliance

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Evolution of Partners

• Concierge Practice

– Benefit for partner: Annual fee, best interested of 

practice to NOT see clients in the office. Wellness checks, 

can get daily/weekly real-time eyes on patient 

– Benefit for LCA: easy access to client data and medical 

records, easy to show health cost savings

• Practices and Medical Groups

– Small practices and Areas of larger systems (Ohio 

State Wound Clinic) 

– Benefit for partner: goal to have less readmissions and 

healthier community, have to have community 

partnerships, CPC+ models, diversifying PCP roles

– Benefit for LCA: gain access to client data and medical 

records, could lead to access to insurance data, working 

towards LCA being paid directly from partner for service

15
Evolution of Partners – Cont.

• Cities

– Benefit for partner: showcase concern for citizens, not 

directly partnered with EMS, “Stay UA”, age in place or move 

to area

– Benefit for LCA: cultivate relationship with area and 

potential funding source for various services

• Specialized Groups

– Jewish Family Services

– Columbus City Schools Staff- paid for services, contracted 

for us to be the provider revenue to agency to expand other 

programming; $47,000 in new revenue

– YMCA - partnering with this pre-diabetes groups

– Mount Carmel Diabetes - focus on prediabetes, can make 

referrals to each other
Narrowing the Focus

• Police and Sheriffs

– New due to COVID partnership

– Benefit for partner: Reduce non-relevant calls, frequent fliers, 

provide a deeper long-term service for clients, collect data to 

show justification for community staff, positive media

– Benefit for LCA: help with data to showcase LCA benefits with 

insurance and medical providers, diversify funding, great service 

to the community, easier way to reach new clients

17
Narrowing the Focus – Cont.

• Fire Departments

– 4 partnerships a year old, varying referrals

– 1 new rural town

– Benefit for partner: Reduce unnecessary calls, frequent fliers, 

provide a deeper long-term service for clients, collect data to 

show justification for Community Paramedicine staff

– Benefit for LCA: help with data to showcase LCA benefits with 

insurance and medical providers, great service to the community, 

easier way to reach new clients

• Outpatient Rehab (NEW Development!)

– Benefit for partner: goal to have less readmissions and healthier 

community, support for successful surgery and recovery

– Benefit for LCA: gain access to client data and medical records, 

could lead to access to insurance data, working towards LCA being 

paid directly from partner/insurance agency for service
The “Hidden” Partners

• Researcher and her staff from 

The Ohio State University

• IT team

– Creating online referral system

– Creating online Frailty Scale 

input page

– Encryption software for email 

communications

• Army of Dietitians ($80-$174 a 

visit!)

• Billing Specialist- fight for 

every dollar!

• Grants team

• Central Intake

19
The “Hidden” Partners – Cont.

• Funding Sources

– Older Americans Act

– Area Agencies on Aging

– Home Depot

– City Funds/Private grants/Donors/Foundations

• LCA departments that haven’t worked with 

MOW department before

• Delivery Volunteers/Staff

• Meals-on-Wheels America
One Step at a Time

• Online referral system- save time for 

everyone

– Look at the trends for new potential partners

• Hired a Community Health Worker

• COVID support lead to new 

partnerships

• Diversify outreach tactics

– Word of Mouth

– Cold Calls

– “Cool Kid” buy in

• Taking wisdom from everywhere!

• Frailty Scale with the Ohio State 

University

21
Challenges Overcome

• Breaking Down 

Department Silos and 

Internal Processes

• Being patient – it took a 

full year to figure out our 

ask internal and external

• Meeting people where 

they are

– Zoom vs. Phone

– “Referring my brother”

• Learning the Medical 

Lingo

22
Lessons Learned

• Selling our product, more 

than warm fuzzies

• Healthcare economist

• What we can really provide 

the partner

– “I can’t do anything without 

a call to 9-1-1”

• The Data Ask

• Collecting and Sharing 

Data- HIPAA

• Be patient!

23
Contacts

Leah Bunck, MSW

LifeCare Alliance

614-437-2854

Lbunck@lifecarealliance.org

@NRCNA_engAging

POLL #2

How many of your organizations have current 

partnerships with emergency services providers?

• Police departments

• Fire departments

• Emergency management services

• Sheriffs offices

• Adult protective services

Other service providers? Please let us know in the chat 

box!
27
@NRCNA_engAging

• Share Your Map, Learn From Peers, Stay Connected:

• Log on to NRCNAengage after the webinar to share, 

learn and carry on the conversation!

Signing up is easy! 

Visit www.nrcna.mn.co

and click ‘Invite’!
@NRCNA_engAging

Visit 

www.nrcna.mn.co

to join the 

conversation.
@NRCNA_engAging

Visit 

www.nrcna.mn.co

to join the 

conversation.
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