During the January meeting we were inspired by John Badger’s work to collect items for the homeless.  As a group we collected an abundance of socks, blankets, sleeping bags, and other items.  John was very grateful and wanted to say thank you to all that participated.  He said this is the greatest donation he’s received in a long time! It is a great pleasure to be part of such an amazing group.

On February 14, 2017 we had Matthew Semenza present from Caregiver Homes.  Matthew shared the wonderful service that Caregiver Homes offer for the elderly but also for persons with disabilities that are 16 years of age or older.  To qualify for the program, the person needs to have medicare, require 24 hour live-in care, and also need assistance with one or more daily activities.  Matthew stated that the said caregiver needs to live with the individual and cannot be the guardian.  As part of this program the person would receive a daily stipend and laptop to have communication with a nurse.  Anyone can refer a family to see if they qualify for the program.  Matthew Semenza can be reached at (413)233-6481 for any further questions.  Check out this link for more information: Caregiver Homes

We also heard from Christine Vala, RPN and Dr. Tony Delellis from Community, A Walgreen’s Pharmacy located at 619 Chestnut St in Springfield, MA. They had a soft opening on February 22, 2017.  The team was very excited in their ability to work closely with families and providers.  They also have the capacity to help patients have medications delivered, quick prior authorizations (perhaps even verbal authorizations), and access to same day or next day medications.  Something to note is they will only care medications and not medical supplies.  At the time of the meeting they had not opened yet and therefor contact information was not yet available.  Please keep reviewing page, as contact information will be updated.

We thank everyone for attending these wonderful meetings and making the second Tuesday of every month something to look forward to! See you all on March 14, 2017 at 9:15am.