By: Maria Williams
Adult Foster Care – also known as AFC – is the provision of care for individuals with difficulties living independently. AFC is often required 24 hours a day and represents a pertinent reality for more than 12 million American citizens since 2017. Vitra Health is an organization borne from the vital role caregivers play in contemporary society, continually serving individuals with complex physical and emotional needs. Paying homage to the Latin word for ‘lens’, Vitra symbolizes a clear focus on a historically underserved portion of the US population. The organization offers focused services to revolutionize the way care is administered, received, and incentivized across Massachusetts.
By partnering individuals with a supportive caregiver (often family members), nurses, and case managers, Vitra Health provides clients with the comfort and dignity to remain in their homes while receiving the necessary individualized care and support they require. Additionally, Vitra Health ensures that clients and caregivers have access to culturally competent staff, often sharing common languages, and therefore enables the clients to remain active within their communities.
CEO Lorena Silva comments: “We make sure clients have the fundamental ability to select the right caregiver for them and are supported by our diverse and exceptional care teams. Our team reflects the rich diversity of the communities we serve, with 67% of our workforce identifying as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color). We take pride in fostering cultural sensitivity, inclusion and understanding within every level of our organization.”
Vitra Health champions the journeys of caregivers, uplifting them as they navigate an often unpredictable and demanding healthcare landscape – they receive a tax-free stipend from the agency twice a month, alongside a clear line of communication with a designated Care Team which includes nurses and case managers. Care Teams support clients and caregivers by acting as intermediaries between medical and insurance professionals, providing useful resources, and bilingual support. Vitra’s website highlights its mission, “Our goal is to assist you in caring for your loved ones. We understand that taking care of those in the Adult Foster Care system can be challenging, especially when doing it alone. Vitra Health steps in to provide compensation, valuable resources, and the help of our registered nurses and case managers. We help families stay in their communities and ensure caregivers are paid fairly; assisting them every step of the way in the comfort of their homes.”
With serving the community at the heart of its efforts, every year Vitra Health participates in statewide initiatives to positively impact social change and raise awareness. For instance, the organization has hosted local food drives, distributed books, and shared educational resources in an array of languages, through radio stations, television, social media, and news outlets. A two-time sponsor of the Latino Youth Recognition Day Program, supported by the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park, the organization’s commitment is reflected not only to clients and caregivers but also within the communities as a whole.
As the organization proceeds to positively impact the communities throughout Massachusetts with mission-based care, Vitra is poised to expand across the United States and bring attention to community-based healthcare needs to an increasingly growing and vulnerable population that is often overlooked.
Published By: Aize Perez
