Insights

The Challenge:
WEHO initiated the development of a five-year strategic plan – Aging in Place, Aging in Community (AIP) – to help the city evolve as a community where aging is embraced and where people can remain in the housing of their choice for as long as possible. The city’s strategic plan built on the city’s existing policies and programs, such as arts and cultural events, lifespanfriendly housing, senior services, and other approaches to wellness, while responding to the demographic trend of people living longer and living independently in their homes. West Hollywood is home to LGBTQ community members; long-term HIV survivors; Russian-speaking emigrants, many of whom are 80 and 90 years of age; Baby Boomers reaching retirement age;
and a large population of single head of household families. As a caring and supportive city, demonstrated by 31 years of proactive and progressive policies and services, it was important to WEHO to be able to measure their progress in this work.

WEHO needed an evaluator to create and implement an evaluation plan to determine whether the investments into the initiative were resulting in the desired changes. WEHO engaged HMA Community Strategies (HMACS) to advise on advanced evaluation planning during the completion of the strategic plan, and then contracted HMACS for the full evaluation to measure the impact of the strategic plan across the community.

About The Client
GTECH Strategies is a Pennsylvania-based non-profit which works in communities to mobilize residents,
local policy-makers, and like-minded organizations to transform vacant spaces into thriving and usable
places.

The Challenge
As a unique non-profit locally and nationally and with dual investment in people and places (individual
empowerment and environmental improvement), GTECH Strategies has been on the cutting edge of
bringing two distinct factors of community health together. However, being a bridge between two related
but siloed factors of community health is challenging and raised important questions for GTECH internally
regarding shared impact across programs and where to focus strategic planning efforts in the future. As
a non-health entity, GTECH found it challenging to understand its role in health and how to be prepared
to partner in the health eco-system. Leaders were eager but unsure of the best way to demonstrate how
their work and influence impacted something as broad as “community health.”

The Client
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)

The Challenge
Seeking to assess a pilot project aimed at addressing healthcare costs at a regional level, RWJF
commissioned Health Management Associates to evaluate the Total Cost of Care Phase I Pilot, identify
promising practices, and highlight critical lessons.