Ascentria Care Alliance is at the heart of Greater Worcester’s efforts to serve, support, and settle refugees and immigrants. Under Angela Bovill’s leadership this year, the organization worked with other nonprofits in the region to welcome nearly 600 Afghan refugees.
Ascentria spearheaded a new model of care called neighborhood support teams each comprised of 20-30 volunteers that are overseen by an Ascentria case manager creating a sustainable community-based model of resettlement. Additionally through its Learn to Earn program, Ascentria is connecting immigrants, refugees, and other potential apprentices with businesses, to improve the pipeline of workers in crucial industries like health and human services.
With locations throughout New England, Ascentria’s Central Massachusetts presence grew in late 2021 when the nonprofit acquired the 150-bed Lutheran Rehabilitation and Skilled Care Center in Worcester for $21.6 million. The new center, along with a 147-bed care center in West Brookfield, benefited from a $57-million tax-exempt bond from MassDevelopment, which will go toward renovations of the centers. Ascentria’s new Worcester care center employs nearly 200 people, providing care to seniors.
What sets the Central Mass. business community apart from the rest of the world? The level of cooperation and collaboration exceeds that of other areas. There is a real desire to come together to solve complex problems. This is an area that we prefer to pilot new solutions, as there is a willingness to go where others won’t.
Green thumb: I am an avid gardener, in the kind of work that I do, that applies to both my organizational work and my physical gardens. They both take a lot of investment upfront, and the payoff comes over the years!
CORRECTIONS:Â A previous version of this article incorrectly said Ascentria Care Alliance helped resettled nearly 800 Afghan refugees. The correct number is 600. The story also incorrectly conflated Ascentria’s Learn to Earn program with the new neighborhood support teams for Afghan refugees, which are separate programs.
