NORC Blueprint Advisors

NORC Blueprint Working Group

The NORC Blueprint reflects the diversity of NORC program experiences and perspectives and was informed by a working group of 20 individuals from across the country involved in NORC program development. Collectively, the working group members represent NORC program activities in seven states, including those in urban, suburban, and rural settings; 14 members are or have been directly involved with the management of NORC programs, two represent NORC program health partners, and six represent public and private funders and/or policy makers. The working group members gave generously of their time and expertise, meeting four times over the course of one year and providing valuable insights and comments as materials were developed.

The NORC Working Group Members included:

Jewish Family Services of Los Angeles

UJA-Federation of New York

Bronx Jewish Community Council

Dale Chaikin
Director Community Health/NORC Programs
Community Health and Public Policy
North Shore Long Island Jewish Health System

Jewish Association for Services for the Aged

U.S. Administration on Aging

New York State Office for the Aging

Cathy Grimm
Project Director
Senior and Adult Services
Jewish Family Service of Colorado

New York State Office for the Aging

Atlanta Regional Commission

Anne Moses
Corporate Director of Community Health Education and Outreach
Continuum Health Partners

Julia Pierson Consulting, Inc.

Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center

Jewish Family & Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia

New York City Department for the Aging

NORC Blueprint Project Staff

The NORC Blueprint Project has been led by Fredda Vladeck, director of the United Hospital Fund's Aging in Place Initiative. Ms. Vladeck was the founding director of the nation's first comprehensive NORC supportive service program (SSP) and worked with others to translate and replicate this innovative model. In addition to her work on the NORC Blueprint project, Ms. Vladeck’s efforts at the Fund have focused on developing quantitative performance indicators for NORC programs and improving linkages between aging services and the health care system. While based in Washington, DC, from 1993 to 1998, she served as advisor on aging and health policy to the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, as a consultant for health policy to the National Council of Senior Citizens, and as a White House delegate to the 1995 White House Conference on Aging. She is the author of the Fund's publication, A Good Place to Grow Old: New York's Model for NORC-SSPs. Ms. Vladeck received her B.A. in social work from the University of Michigan, and an M.S. in social work from Columbia University. She is a trustee of the Cabrini Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, a director of the Union Health Center, a member of the National Academy of Social Insurance, and a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine.

Anya Nawrocky is the senior program manager of the NORC Blueprint Project. She has extensive experience in project management including project planning, operations, financial management, and evaluation. Anya has also served as the Fund’s grants manager. Prior to joining the Fund in August 2003, Anya worked at the American International Health Alliance, a Washington-based organization working to advance and improve global health. Anya received a master of public administration degree in public and non-profit management and policy from New York University’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service.

Content Experts

The project also contracted for the services of several nationally recognized individuals to provide their content expertise in specific program development and management areas. These experts provided both depth and breadth to the content developed for the NORC Blueprint.

Dr. Corinne Kyriacou is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Professions and Family Studies at Hofstra University. Dr. Kyriacou currently teaches the following courses: “Ethical, Legal and Critical Health Problems,” “Introduction to Research and Writing in Health,” “Planning, Implementation and Evaluation of Community Health Programs,” “Introduction to Grant Writing,” and “Readings in Community Health.” Prior to joining the Hofstra faculty in 2004, Dr. Kyriacou spent five years as director of research at Metropolitan Jewish Health System, a continuum of care provider of services for the elderly and chronically ill based in Brooklyn, NY. Dr. Kyriacou has published articles on hospital to nursing home transitions, consumer-directed care, integrated care for the elderly, managed home care, and the importance of experiential training for health professionals. She also co-authored an Institute of Medicine book evaluating the Pew Health Policy Fellowship Program. Dr. Kyriacou earned a Ph.D. in social policy and health services research from the Heller School at Brandeis University, where she was a fellow of the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (now called Agency for Health Research and Quality), and she earned a master of public health degree in health administration and policy from New York Medical College.

Mia Oberlink is a specialist in community development and outreach and currently works as a senior research associate at the Center for Home Care Policy and Research (CHCPR). Ms. Oberlink is currently managing the AdvantAge Initiative, a data-driven community development project that helps communities measure their elder-friendliness and develop strategies to sustain older residents' independence and allow them to age in place. She is also directing the CHCPR portion of the Health Indicators in NORC Programs Initiative, a collaborative project with the United Hospital Fund. The Initiative is helping NORC programs identify health needs in their communities, develop health interventions targeted to identified needs, measure the impact of these interventions on NORC residents over time, and generate a body of evidence regarding the efficacy of NORC program services to advance healthy aging in place. Previously, Ms. Oberlink was the deputy director of the Home Care Research Initiative, a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), and also worked on Information Brokering for Long-Term Care, a CHCPR project that was also funded by RWJF. Ms. Oberlink received both an undergraduate and graduate degree in French literature from New York University. She also earned a master of arts degree in teaching English as a second language from New York University.

Lynn Spragens is an experienced health care consultant and a former health care executive within an integrated health system. She has a business and operational background, began her health care work as a managed care contract analyst, and was the business administrator for a 200+ multi-specialty group practice operating within a risk sharing environment. Her consulting work has included working with clients to bridge the priorities of doctors and hospitals to produce positive change. For the past five years, she has devoted an increasing proportion of her consulting work to the support of palliative care initiatives and other clinical quality implementation projects within hospital settings. She has worked extensively with the Center to Advance Palliative Care and works with palliative care programs, at various stages of implementation and operation, throughout the country. She has executive level skills in project management, strategic planning, and process improvement, and specializes in bridging the goals of clinical innovation and business strategy. Ms. Spragens has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina and an undergraduate degree from Duke University.