Our Work
We build strategic solutions that help achieve goals, close inequities, and improve quality of life.
Current Projects
LISC Boston: Supporting Resilient and Inclusive Communities
43 Strategic Consulting will support LISC Boston with creating and launching a program to advance resilient and inclusive communities. By partnering with key organizations, the program seeks to assist mission-aligned developers with accessing high quality, project-specific technical assistance when they need it even if they lack capital as well as to accelerate the pace of development of affordable housing and other real estate projects that support stable, affordable, and thriving communities.
The 43 Strategic Consulting team will conduct best practices research locally and across the nation, conduct stakeholder interviews, propose program design and evaluation criteria, support the launch and implementation, and provide strategic recommendations to LISC Boston.
MassHealth: Advancing Health Equity
In Q4 2023, 43 Strategic Consulting will support Massachusetts Medicaid (MassHealth) with the next phase of the 1115 waiver, where for the first time Hospitals as well as ACOs and MCOs will be held accountable for health quality and equity, with payment tied to reporting and performance. Partnering with Public Consulting Group (PCG), we will support the Quality and Equity Incentive Program by providing program management for the next 4.5 years.
Past Projects
Massachusetts Department of Public Health: Leading the COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Initiative
In February 2021, given the growing impact of COVID-19 on BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MADPH) launched the Vaccine Equity Initiative—a $200 million initiative to address vaccine hesitancy and improve access. Catherine West led this initiative and the VEI team provided ongoing, responsive, and dynamic strategy, operations, data-to-action, and project management. Importantly, the team lifted up community voices and solutions. We convened community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, and tribal- and-indigenous-people-serving organizations to create and lead local solutions. We held monthly all-partners meetings to share best practices, lessons learned, and data. The team remained flexible and continuously iterated and revised its approach based on feedback, ideas, and solutions created with the community. Collectively, VEI reversed a growing inequity, closed inequities for those who identify as BIPOC, and saved lives. For example, according to the July 2023 report to the Massachusetts Legislature, “Since vaccines became available to most age groups in May 2021, VEI communities have increased the number of their population with a complete primary series by 105%, outpacing non-VEI communities at 75%.”
“Catherine and Sue were a pleasure to work with and learn from! The 43 Strategic Consulting team brought a clear understanding of both housing and health care financing — and a strategic and creative lens about how these two sectors can achieve sustainable and mutually beneficial partnerships.”
– Andrew Spofford
Chief of Staff and Senior Vice President
Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH): Advancing Integration Between Healthcare and Housing
The 43 Strategic Consulting team provided technical assistance to POAH—a national affordable housing provider—who was interested in partnering with a healthcare organization to improve the health outcomes of its residents. As part of the first phase of the engagement, the team provided strategic guidance on the managed care environment. This included the creation of a managed care kick-starter training, where we provided an overview for housing providers considering engaging with health care entities in a managed care environment, with a particular focus on Medicaid members/lower income individuals. Secondly, the team conducted an environmental scan of potential partners, evaluated growth roles for POAH, and provided recommendations on strategic partnerships. The team conducted key informant interviews with diverse stakeholders, including senior leadership at health insurance plans, provider organizations, state government agencies, funders, and lenders. Based on analyzing the interviews, the team identified and recommended business development opportunities that advanced POAH’s goals and aligned with stakeholders’ goals and objectives. Together with the leadership of POAH, two strategies were selected for the organization to pursue.
MassHealth: Addressing Social Drivers of Health
The team brought experience serving as the regulator and regulatee for large state-wide Medicaid demonstration projects which addressed social drivers of health. As part of the Massachusetts Medicaid (MassHealth) program, several members of the 43 Strategic Consulting team helped ACOs and MCOs launch the Flexible Services Program—a first-in-the-nation program that provided pre-tenancy and tenancy sustaining supports (first month’s rent, last month’s rent, and security deposits) as well as nutrition support services. Our team launched and scaled partnerships with housing, nutrition, transportation, and medical legal aid providers to support Medicaid ACO and MCO patients.
Catherine West also supported MassHealth with Massachusetts Delivery System Reform Incentive Payment Program (DSRIP) implementation including ACO/MCO performance and reporting as well as with waiver preparation including conducting state authority research on 1115, 1915i, and 1915c.
“In order to succeed in health care, providers, payers and investors need advisors who can help them successfully navigate and optimize topline revenue, policy, regulations, operations and long-term growth. Catherine’s experience, strategic mindset and forward-thinking ideas drive value and bottom-line results. Her firm, 43 Strategic Consulting, brings together a team of seasoned health care operators with years of experience who are leading the future of health care with data and vision.”
