Element Care, a leading Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) and managed care provider for Senior Care Options (SCO), will host its second annual Healthcare from the Heart Gala on Thursday, October 29, 2026, at the Seaport Hotel in Boston. This year’s theme, “Building Communities that Care,” celebrates the leaders and partnerships that unite healthcare, housing, and community to help older adults live safely and independently in the places they call home.

The Healthcare from the Heart Gala, emceed by Candy O’Terry will bring together healthcare providers, housing organizations, community partners, health centers and sponsors all of whom support Element Care’s mission of helping older adults remain in their homes and communities for as long as possible. The evening will feature remarks from Element Care CEO Doug Thompson along with a short film sharing the stories of Element Care participants whose health, independence, and connection to community have been strengthened through coordinated healthcare, housing, and support services.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural gala, which raised over $400,000 to provide memorable enrichment experiences for Element Care participants, this year’s gala aims to make an even broader impact. Funds raised will help support affordable housing for seniors, address housing insecurity, and provide critical resources for older adults and their caregivers, including caregiver respite, adaptive recreation, essential household needs, and opportunities for social connection. Through the generosity of our sponsors, donors, and community partners, we hope to strengthen communities, enhance quality of life, and help older adults live with dignity, independence, and security.

“Good health doesn’t start and stop at the doctor’s office. It depends on having a safe home, a ride to your appointment, a good meal, and people around you who care,” said Doug Thompson, CEO, Element Care. “None of what we do is possible alone. At this year’s gala, we celebrate the partners who are building communities that care alongside us, and the people whose lives are better because of that work,” said Thompson.

Element Care will present the Community Health Leadership Award to Michael Curry, Esq., President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. A leader in civil rights, health reform, and health equity for more than 30 years, Curry co-chaired the Massachusetts Senate Health Equity Task Force during the COVID-19 pandemic and co-founded the Health Equity Compact, a coalition of more than 80 leaders of color that filed the nation’s first omnibus health equity bill. The award holds special meaning for Element Care, which was founded as a joint venture of the Lynn Community Health Center and Greater Lynn Senior Services.

The Building Communities that Care Award will be presented to Magnolia Contreras, David Solimine Jr., and the Solimine Family in recognition of their leadership in bringing affordable senior housing and healthcare together in Lynn. Their commitment to community giving builds on a legacy of philanthropy established more than 60 years ago by Mary Jane and David Solimine Sr., whose generosity and dedication to serving others set the family on a path of giving back that continues today.

After Union Hospital closed in 2020, David Solimine Jr. purchased the site and donated the land to 2Life Communities, which is now building Solimine House, 150 affordable apartments for adults 62 and older named in honor of his parents, Mary Jane and David Solimine Sr. Contreras, a healthcare executive and health equity advocate, has helped lead the project. Solimine House is being built next to Element Care’s headquarters and PACE center, with an enclosed walkway connecting enrolled residents directly to care. It is scheduled to open in 2027.

For more than 30 years, Element Care has provided comprehensive healthcare to older adults across Massachusetts. Today, Element Care serves more than 1,200 PACE participants in Essex County, the Merrimack Valley, and parts of Greater Boston across seven locations, and has welcomed more than 400 new participants in the past 15 months. Through partnerships with housing organizations including 2Life Communities, Harborlight Homes, and the YWCA of Greater Newburyport, Element Care is bringing PACE care directly into senior housing communities. PACE is a federal and state-funded health care program that offers a range of services, including preventive, primary, acute, and long-term care.

About Element Care

Element Care is a non-profit healthcare organization with a simple mission: To provide the highest quality health and social services to older adults so they can remain in their own homes and communities with dignity, safety, and independence with best-in-class support. Founded in 1994, Element Care’s PACE program was established as a joint venture of the Lynn Community Health Center and Greater Lynn Senior Services to bring PACE to seniors in the community. PACE is a federal and state funded health care program that offers a range of services including preventive, primary, acute and long-term care. The organization offers a holistic approach to care that includes medical, social, and wellness services tailored to the unique needs of each participant and member. In 2004, Element Care partnered with Commonwealth Care Alliance to provide comprehensive clinical case management to at-risk SCO members.

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