United Church Homes Teams Up with Two Other Agencies to Usher in Transformative Change

Transformational change. It’s a lofty goal, but one that the founding members of the newly created Radiant Alliance are fully committed to and confident in their ability to achieve.

America’s existing healthcare and support for individuals with complex chronic clinical, emotional and social needs often leaves them underserved and at risk, as they try to navigate and access services on their own. The consequences are profound: a lower quality of life and shorter life expectancy for those individuals, limited effectiveness in delivering services and an increased financial burden on the healthcare system.

That’s why three dynamic, nonprofit organizations — United Church Homes (UCH), Metta Healthcare and Genacross Lutheran Services — have joined together as founding members of Radiant Alliance.    

Created last year, Radiant Alliance is a dynamic consortium of reputable nonprofit health and human services organizations with decades of experience and expertise in the supportive care and housing sectors. The alliance promises to be so much more than the sum of its parts — creating a synergy that will have a profound impact on the healthcare landscape.

What makes the relationship between the three founding partners so great is close alignment of their individual missions, core values and cultures. They share an unwavering commitment to innovation, compassionate care and the power of human connection.

For more than a century, UCH has provided quality housing and services to older adults. It currently serves nearly 7,000 residents in its more than 90 owned and managed communities in 15 states and two tribal nations — from independent and assisted living, to life plan communities providing nursing, rehab and memory care. It also provides valuable support services to older adults who prefer to remain in their homes through its Naviguide program. Closely affiliated with the United Church of Christ, UCH is a provider of healthcare and senior living services with a mission to transform aging by building a culture of community, wholeness and peace.

Metta Healthcare’s mission is about transforming the experience of health care by creating and providing innovative, world-class solutions that support patients and families through superior care and services. It is the parent company of Ohio’s Hospice and Pure Healthcare, annually serving more than 18,000 patients throughout Ohio by providing long-term direct health care for those with chronic illnesses or in need of end-of-life care.

Genacross Lutheran Services has been serving people in need since 1860. Today, nearly 3,000 people of all ages throughout northwest Ohio and southeast Michigan benefit from Genacross programs and services that foster compassionate care and wellness. It provides a spectrum of care – not only to older adults, but also to high-risk youth. Genacross is a faith-based social ministry affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and recognized by The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.

“United Church Homes and Ohio’s Hospice formed a successful partnership in 2018,” said the Rev. Dr. Ken Daniel, UCH chief executive officer. “I knew and respected Ohio’s Hospice CEO Kent Anderson and was receptive to his vision to bring nonprofits together to address the needs of a growing body of people on Medicaid.”

Pure Healthcare’s partnerships with managed care insurance companies served as the model in creating Radiant Alliance – expanding the concept to bring more nonprofit organizations to the Medicaid space and providing a seamless web of support services.

“The unprecedented COVID pandemic disrupted the normal cadence of providing health care,” Anderson said. “Against that backdrop, we now face hyperinflation. Standalone providers are finding it much harder to remain sustainable with rising costs and reimbursements that have failed to keep pace with inflation.”

Although cost savings is a tangible benefit to forming partnerships among providers, that was not the driving force behind the creation of Radiant Alliance. The number one goal is to develop and implement models of care for individuals with complex health care needs that will produce better results.

“Over time, we’ll develop shared services,” said Genacross President/CEO, Rick Marshall. “But our top priority is developing models of care that lead to better outcomes. We believe that Radiant Alliance will be a national prototype for how government-funded health and human services can be effectively and efficiently utilized to improve quality of care and life for those we serve.”

Each of the partner organizations will maintain their own identity and governing structure. Upon regulatory approval, Radiant Alliance will become an affiliate of CareSource — a nonprofit, nationally recognized managed care organization established in 1989 that now serves more than 2.1 million members. The partnership is evolving from an idea to early implementation with Daniel serving as its CEO, Anderson as president and Marshall as treasurer. The broader goal is to recruit additional nonprofit organizations to join the alliance, working together to deliver quality of life and care.

“Growth is a priority for nonprofit organizations because it allows us to expand reach,” Daniel said. “UCH, Metta Healthcare and Genacross are all about providing quality care and support to a greater number of people, particularly those who are underserved. We want to help people live their lives to the fullest. This partnership makes each participating organization stronger and represents an opportunity for each to better serve more people in need.”

Learn more about Radiant Alliance.