Our award-winning staff frequently speaks at conferences and meetings – contact us if your organization would like VAAACares® to make a presentation, in person or virtually.

Bay Aging announced they have been selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to participate in a new Medicare alternative payment model designed to support people living with dementia and their caregivers. Under CMS’ Guiding an Improved Dementia Experience (GUIDE) Model, Bay Aging will be one of almost 400 participants building Dementia Care Programs (DCPs) across the country, working to increase care coordination and improve access to services and supports, including respite care, for people living with dementia and their caregivers.

The Community Care Innovation Collaborative, the learning arm of the VAAACares Community Care Hub, earned a 2024 USAging Aging Innovations Award. The Community Care Innovation Collaborative was further recognized at the USAging Conference in July 2024 as the 2nd-place winner nationwide for innovation.

Kathy Vesley, Bay Aging President & CEO, was selected as USAging’s Excellence in Leadership Award recipient for 2023. Her nomination was supported by community leaders including Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03).

Bay Aging’s Case Management for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) program was awarded re-accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in July 2023.

Kathy Vesley, Bay Aging President & CEO, presented “Opportunities for ACO Partnerships with Community Based Organizations” at the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) Conference in Washington, D.C. on September 8, 2022.

Bay Aging received a USAging Aging Achievement Award for its Person-Centered Care Coordination Program at the USAging Conference in Austin, TX in July 2022.

Health Quality Innovators (HQI) selected Bay Aging as a 2021 Health Quality Innovator of the Year. Bay Aging’s person-centered Care Coordination program was named the winner of the Patient Engagement and Activation category.

Bay Aging’s Case Management for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) program was awarded accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA), effective September 7, 2021.

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) selected Bay Aging to lead the development of a statewide Community Integrated Health Network (CIHN) for Virginia. The two-year project began September 1, 2021 and is funded by a No Wrong Door Community Infrastructure grant.

Kathy Vesley, Bay Aging President & CEO, addressed the General Assembly Joint Commission on Health Care on opportunities the Commonwealth should pursue to reduce Medicaid costs and improve healthcare outcomes by incorporating the evidence-based practices of VAAACares.®

Kathy Vesley, Bay Aging President & CEO; William Massey, Peninsula Agency on Aging President & CEO; and Board Director Barry Gross, MD, presented “It’s a New Day! Healthcare is Moving More Services into the Home” at the Governor’s Conference on Aging in May 2021.

Kathy Vesley, Bay Aging President & CEO, discussed the expanding roles of Area Agencies on Aging at the Southern Gerontological Conference in April 2021.

Bay Aging staff and Board Director Barry Gross, MD, presented “Bridging the Gap: Aligning CBOs and MCOs for Mutual Benefit” at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging Conference in September 2020.

Kathy Vesley discussed utilizing business acumen for healthcare contracting as a participant on a panel titled “Conversations with the Brain Trust” at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging Conference.

Kathy Vesley, Bay Aging President & CEO, was named Virginia’s representative to the Aging and Disability Business Institute’s Trailblazers Learning Collaborative.

“VAAACares: Partnership Reduces Hospital Readmissions and Saves Money,” written by Kathy Vesley, was published in CSA Journal, Number 73, Vol. 1, 2019.

Kathy Vesley, President & CEO of Bay Aging, discussed VAAACares’ successful care transitions model at a National Alzheimer’s Project Act Advisory Committee meeting in November 2018.

VAAACares® earned a n4a Aging Achievement Award and was featured in n4a’s best practices publication.

EVCTP and its build-out of VAAACares® were selected from more than 200 respondents to a Center for Health Care Strategies RFI sponsored by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It is one of four partnerships nationally to be featured in case studies exploring sustainability and replicability of innovative partnerships between health care providers and community based organizations.

Bay Aging, its collaborative of the Eastern Virginia Care Transitions Partnership (EVCTP) and Kathy Vesley, President, were recognized by Robert J. Schreiber, MD, Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, for providing national leadership for improving patient health outcomes and significantly reducing hospital readmissions in Eastern Virginia.

As part of Older Americans Month, State Aging Commissioner Jim Rothrock recognized Bay Aging and VAAACares® in partnership with health care providers for significantly bending the health care cost curve by coaching seniors on how to avoid unnecessary and costly hospital readmissions.

Bay Aging dba the EVCTP (VAAACares®) was featured in two blogs, the American Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) and the n4a Aging & Disability Business Institute, for how its unique partnership of health care providers, health plans and AAAs is helping thousands of Virginias have healthier lives.

VAAACares® was selected to present at the poster competition of the Virginia Patient Safety Summit at Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association’s (VHHA) annual conference.

The United States Patent and Trademark Office approved the application for a trademark for the VAAACares® logo in September 2017.

VAAACares® was awarded the John A. Hartford Foundation 2017 Business Innovation Award at the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging Conference in Savannah, Georgia in July 2017.

Bay Aging/VAAACares® participated in the 2017 Virginia Patient Safety Summit in Richmond in February 2017.

Based on success in saving Medicare dollars and improving health outcomes, the Virginia General Assembly awarded funds to Bay Aging/EVCTP to demonstrate its impact on Medicaid beneficiaries.

Archstone Foundation and The Aging & Public Health Section of The American Public Health Association Award for Excellence In Program Innovation, Honorable Mention.

Senator Mark Warner deemed the EVCTP synergy of health systems and AAAs as “unprecedented” and a model for his proposed legislation to improve outcomes for Medicare patients with chronic conditions.

Virginia Center for Health Innovations appointed EVCTP to expand Care Transitions across the Commonwealth of Virginia, leading to VAAACares®.

EVCTP was recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as a National Top Performer for Care Transitions Intervention.

Winner, National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a) Aging Innovations and Achievement Award for Care Transitions.

Honorable Mention, Archstone Foundation and Aging & Public Health Section of the American Public Health Association Award for Excellence in Program Innovation.

Winner, Commonwealth Council on Aging Best Practices Award for EVCTP.

Winner, Virginia Health Care Innovators and Virginia Chamber of Commerce Patient Safety Award for Care Transitions.

Bay Aging/EVCTP awarded CMS Demonstration Project funding (CCTP) to expand its Care Transitions Intervention® pilot.