With an industry shift to more outpatient care, the need for high quality home health services is acute in Westchester, especially for the aged, according to Rita Mabli, president and CEO of United Hebrew of New Rochelle, who announced today the appointment of Evelyn Morales, a 28-year veteran of the health care industry, as the new head of United Hebrew’s Home Health division.
In her new role, Morales will oversee United Hebrew’s Certified Home Health Agency, recognized by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid as one of the top-rated home health agencies in Westchester (top 15%) and and in New York State (top 26%). She will also manage AZOR Licensed Home Care, which serves elderly clients who need help with care planning, medication management, and support for daily living. Home health care is part of United Hebrew’s comprehensive array of services, which also include skilled nursing, rehabilitation, assisted living, memory care, and independent senior housing.
Prior to joining United Hebrew, Morales served as the interdisciplinary care team manager for the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, where she oversaw a team of nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and social workers to ensure comprehensive and coordinated care. Before that, she served as vice president of care coordination for Brightpoint Health, overseeing the care program for over 7,000 patients in New York City.
“We are especially fortunate to have attracted someone with such a breadth of experience,” said Mabli. “I have tremendous confidence in Evelyn’s abilities to lead our home health team in providing expert, personalized care to individuals, whether they older adults who want to age in their own homes, caregivers needing support with aging parents, or patients recovering from illness or injury.”
Technology Tools for Home Care
Home health care leads the nation’s fastest-growing industries, (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics), and United Hebrew is well positioned to meet the demand for services. Morales says her priorities are to ensure quality, patient-centered care that prevents hospital readmissions and provide services that helps people remain independently at home for as long as possible.
Providing tech tools to clinicians is one way she’s working on meeting those goals. Morales is working with United Hebrew’s chief information officer to employ device-based care documentation for clinicians in the field.
“Real time access to patient records helps us to capture what is happening at home and ensures we are sharing critical information with the patient’s whole care team,” says Morales. “We’re also exploring telehealth partnerships for remote patient monitoring, which will lead to savings and efficiencies, not to mention better care and peace of mind for our patients.”
She’s also working on medication management, a clinical intervention that has proven to prevent hospital readmission. United Hebrew is now partnering with a national pharmacy vendor to facilitate medication reconciliation, a measure aimed at ensuring patients are taking the appropriate dosage and the correct time. “It adds a layer of communication and ensures a more complete monitoring and tracking of patient medication,” notes Morales.
“We’re always looking for ways to improve our services to help people improve their health at home,” says Mabli. “Evelyn’s leadership will help ensure our home health services remain a vital link in United Hebrew’s continuum of care.”
A healthcare veteran for 28 years, Morales worked as a nurse in a hospital for the first two years, then switched to home care and never looked back. “Community based care is a critical part of our healthcare system,” says Morales. “We see the patient holistically, we are able to educate them on healthy living, and we see immediate feedback for our work. It’s important work.”
In addition to Visiting Nurse Service of New York and Brightpoint Health, Morales has held senior-level positions at the Children’s Rehabilitation Center in White Plains, Amerigroup Community Connections in New York City, and Lighthouse International in White Plains. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from New York University, and went to complete a master’s degree in public health administration at Long Island University. She became a Certified Case Manager in 2015 and a certified Population Health Coordinator in 2017. She is a resident of New City in Rockland County.
