Creative Sustainability: Strategic Routes for Sustaining Health-Related Social Needs Programs
July 22 @ 9:00 am - 10:00 am PDT
Date: Tuesday, July 22, 2025
Start time: 9 AM Pacific | 12 PM Eastern
End time: 10 AM Pacific | 1 PM Eastern
Long-term program sustainability is key for organizations serving older adults, particularly when there are not clear financial reimbursement mechanisms. While many organizations address health-related social needs, there is currently no single clear path to sustainability – yet such programs have unique value in knowing community needs and developing trust with older adults. Come learn how to apply a creative and strategic mindset for identifying potential pathways that leverage your unique organizational resources, operations, and priorities. Hear how several rural aging programs applied this mindset to pursue sustainability pathways including cross-sector partnerships, auxiliary staffing strategies, in-home use of technology, and more.
Presenters:
Gwen Beckler, MSSL, began her career in 2015 in elder care, focusing on sales and marketing, and later grew into a role as the executive director for an assisted living community. With more than 20 years’ experience in fundraising, marketing, and development, she joined Missouri Slope in 2022 to lead the launch and development of Missouri Slope at Home.
Regan McManus, MHA, is director of Aging Initiatives at Lutheran Services in America. Previously she directed INCOG Area Agency on Aging in Tulsa, Okla., where she oversaw the day-to-day operations of administering federal, state and philanthropic funding, direct services, and planning for older Oklahomans. McManus also was president of the Oklahoma Association of Area Agencies on Aging, a member of USAging’s national board, and an aging advocate at local, state and national levels. Prior to working in public service, McManus was a recreation therapist for a large nonprofit health system’s physical rehabilitation unit, where she assisted patients with adapting their leisure interests and regaining access to the community after a life-changing medical event.
Kimberly Smathers, MBA, as principal and owner of Flourishing Spark, Kimberly Smathers partners with organizations working to shape systems and environments to support the flourishing of humans, particularly those disproportionally vulnerable to diminished health and well-being due to sociodemographic factors, age, trauma background, or behavioral or physical health conditions. Smather’s work draws on her more than 20 years’ multisector experience in strategy, business development, research, human-centered design, aging and disability, trauma-informed care, Medicare-Medicaid integration, behavioral health, and health-related social needs.