SPRINGFIELD, Mass., October 5, 2026: Revitalize Community Development Corporation (Revitalize CDC) has received the 2026 Award for Outstanding Partnership in Community Development from the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC). The award was presented on September 30, 2026, at Powered by Community, MACDC's 2026 Community Development Summit, held at the DCU Center in Worcester.

The Outstanding Partnership Award recognizes a community development organization that has built an exceptional cross-sector partnership to advance community development goals, breaking down silos and bringing new resources, expertise and capacity into the field.

The award recognizes a collaboration that began in Springfield in 2015 and now operates statewide. Together, the partners have turned the repair of unhealthy housing into a formal, medically reimbursable healthcare intervention for families living with asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions. In Fiscal Year 2026 alone, the partnership served 699 households across the Commonwealth with patients living with asthma, COPD and emphysema.

"This award belongs to every partner who decided a home could be part of the treatment plan," said Colleen Shanley-Loveless, President & CEO of Revitalize CDC. "Doctors can treat an asthma attack, but if a child goes home to mold and pests, they'll be back in the ER. By bringing hospitals, public health, health plans and housing to the same table, we fix the home and keep families healthy, in school and at work."

From a Springfield pilot to a statewide model

For decades, healthcare and community development worked in separate worlds. Patients received strong clinical care, only to be discharged back into homes with mold, pests and poor ventilation that triggered their next emergency.

In 2015, Revitalize CDC, Public Health Institute of Western MA (PHIWM) and Baystate Health and the national network, GHHI (Green & Healthy Homes Initiative, set out to close that gap. The result was DASHH (Doorway to an Accessible, Safe and Healthy Home), a program in which Community Health Workers and credentialed Healthy Homes Assessors conduct joint home visits. Clinical teams handle medication management and self-management education, while Revitalize CDC carries out targeted repairs such as mold remediation, carpet removal and hard-surface flooring, Integrated Pest Management and ventilation upgrades.

In 2026, Revitalize CDC expanded the model across the Commonwealth, contracting with major MassHealth Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) to reimburse assessments, supplies and home remediation with Medicaid healthcare dollars, first through the MassHealth Flexible Services Program and now under the Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) model.

The partners behind the award

Revitalize CDC shares this recognition with every organization in the partnership:

Housing and remediation lead (award recipient)

Revitalize Community Development Corporation (Revitalize CDC), Springfield: the partnership's housing and remediation arm,

providing Healthy Homes Assessors, Community Health Workers and home repairs through its staff and licensed local contractors.

Public health and coordination (award recipient)

Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts (PHIWM): the data, evaluation and coordination backbone, which oversaw the shared, HIPAA-compliant Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) database linking health outcomes to home repairs. Pioneer Valley Asthma Coalition (PVAC), convened by PHIWM: healthcare professionals, municipal agencies, academic institutions and housing advocates working to improve regional environmental conditions.

 Clinical healthcare partners

Baystate Health / Baystate Medical Center including the Baystate Pulmonary Rehabilitation Department identifies and refers highrisk patients after emergency visits or hospitalizations.

Holyoke Medical Center, clinical teams that refer patients and provide in-home assessments, asthma education and coordination with primary care.

National technical advisor

Green & Healthy Homes Initiative (GHHI), Baltimore, Md. technical assistance and capacity-building advisor since 2015, guiding economic feasibility studies, database design and the shift to Medicaid reimbursement.

Financing partners: MassHealth Accountable Care Organizations

BeHealthy Partnership (Baystate Health and Health New England)

Health New England

Community Care Cooperative (C3)

WellSense Health Plan: Mercy

WellSense Health Plan: Boston Children's Hospital

MassHealth, through the Flexible Services Program and the Health-Related Social Needs (HRSN) model

Proven results: Matched claims data and program evaluations show that healthier homes produce healthier patients and lower costs:

• Over 70% fewer ER visits: For high-risk C3 members, average emergency department visits fell from 3.74 to 1.09 in the six months after referral, with a $2,903 greater reduction in total cost of care.

• Fewer asthma ER visits: BeHealthy Partnership claims showed asthma ED visits drop from 119.4 to 71.4 per thousand members per month.

• Better asthma control: In a Health Policy Commission-funded cohort, mean Asthma Control Test scores rose from 14.71 to 18.89; 82% of children with uncontrolled asthma reached controlled status.

• Kids back in school: The share of children missing school due to asthma fell from 50% to 16% and missed school or daycare days dropped 85%.

"We had been doing asthma interventions, working with community health workers, working with clients, doing education, helping them identify triggers," said Sarita Hudson, Senior Director of Strategy & Development at PHIWM. "But it's not enough if we can't actually fix anything in the home."

For one Springfield mother whose two young children had severe asthma, the change was immediate. After a Community Health Worker reviewed medications and Revitalize CDC removed mold, installed a bathroom exhaust fan and vented the dryer outdoors, both children's asthma came under control. "This program is a life-changing program," she said.

The partnership was previously named a 2021 BusinessWest Healthcare Hero for Collaboration in Health/Wellness.

 About Revitalize CDC

Since 1992, Revitalize CDC has worked to preserve homes, improve health outcomes, and strengthen neighborhoods throughout Western Massachusetts. The organization supports low-income families, seniors, veterans, and individuals with disabilities through housing rehabilitation, health and safety modifications, nutrition, community engagement, and digital equity programs.

For more information or to volunteer, visit RevitalizeCDC.com

About MACDC

The Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) is the statewide association of community development organizations working to create places of opportunity across the Commonwealth. Learn more about the summit atmacdc.org/powered-community