CEO’s Corner - Dr. Louis Josephson

One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about my first 10 months here at Bay Cove is getting to know our staff, as well as many of the people who receive services in our programs. I am consistently impressed with the extraordinary work both groups do, day in and day out.
In speaking with—and, more importantly, listening to—staff members and service recipients, a few consistent themes have emerged. We have an incredibly talented staff, who are as committed to helping the people they serve as any that I’ve seen in my 30+ years

working in this field. And Bay Cove’s reputation of providing person-centered, compassionate care is well deserved.

But another point I’ve heard consistently is that we can, and must, do better. Staff and clients alike are well aware that the healthcare and human services “systems” in our country are woefully inadequate, and do little to offset the impact of poverty, injustice, and stigmatization. While Massachusetts is a leader in the efforts to address these issues, we still have a long way to go.

With this in mind, the senior leadership team and I have undertaken a process to create a strategic vision for Bay Cove that will guide us in the years ahead.

As part of this process, we sought input from a broad range of staff members and service recipients. We held three virtual “Town Hall” meetings, which were attended by a total of 221 staff members. To enable more indepth discussions, we held 10 focus groups of up to eight staff members each. And, we also held four focus groups with people we serve in our mental health services, developmental services, homeless services and addiction services programs.

All of this input was invaluable as we developed and refined the following vision:

Bay Cove proudly serves people with the most complex challenges. Our experience, size and scope uniquely positions Bay Cove to lead our field toward innovative solutions for the people we serve. We will build these solutions by enhancing synergies between existing service lines, as well as developing a “Center for Excellence” to test innovative approaches that demonstrate value to funders and industry leaders. This vision will only succeed if it is built on a commitment to social justice, and the active promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do.

This vision is built on four pillars, with the people we serve at the center, as illustrated below:

 In late February, our Board of Directors discussed these concepts, and endorsed moving forward in constructing a full strategic plan designed to realize this vision. Our leadership team is now working to create this plan, which will be completed in the coming months.

 As we roll out the plan, there will be a big part for you, and all of our friends, to play. Realizing our vision will only be possible with your continued generosity and your help in expanding the community of Bay Cove supporters. There will be much more to come on this, but please feel free to reach out to me or our SVP of Development, David Hirschberg, in the meantime with any questions or comments.

I could not be more excited about the promise of our ambitious strategic vision. I could not be more grateful for your support as we work to make it a reality. And, I could not be more confident that our staff has the talent, expertise, and commitment that will enable Bay Cove to not only provide even better services for the people who turn to us for help, but also serve as a leader in transforming the delivery of human services in Massachusetts.