Selfhelp Community Services’ Virtual Senior Center: 2021 Quality and Innovation Award

The Virtual Senior Center, or VSC, is a platform that has truly met its moment.

More than a decade ago, Selfhelp Community Services had the foresight to develop this powerful new technology to deliver social experiences and classes in a virtual format to the homebound elderly.

Today, the VSC is helping to overcome new and urgent levels of social isolation that have always existed but are intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Once aimed at Selfhelp’s community alone, the VSC has been expanded. It can now be offered by any organization, community or group seeking to deliver virtual services to homebound adults — no matter where they live. It does so in a safe, secure, shareable and scalable model.

Independent evaluation finds that the VSC benefits patients on multiple levels. It reduces isolation and loneliness and increases connectedness and self-reported health status.

Over 97% of VSC users say their quality of life has improved because they are utilizing this program.

The VSC is the embodiment of Quality and Innovation, using state-of-the-art technologies to bridge the gap and fulfill critical needs on a broad scale.

ABOUT THE AWARD

The HCA Quality & Innovation award recognizes a home and community-based organization that has implemented a program or initiative with demonstrated outcomes in terms of client satisfaction, population health improvement, and cost reduction or avoidance.