A Conversation about Women’s History Month with Fallon Health’s Patti Shea

March 24, 2023

ACHP is committed to honoring Women’s History Month by speaking with women leaders within our membership about the work that they do in the health care industry. Women’s health is an essential topic of discussion, with women more likely to face cardiovascular disease and cancer in their lifetimes than men and increasingly more likely to face pregnancy complications in recent years. Leaders like Patti Shea, Senior Director of ACO and Behavioral Health Clinical Team at Fallon Health, inspire us with the creative ways they and other ACHP member organizations are working to address these disparities. We are proud to lift up these voices and stories and celebrate women every day.  

What are the greatest opportunities you face when considering ways to improve the health of women in your community? 

I joined Fallon two years ago specifically because of their commitment to work with underserved populations enrolled in government sponsored health plans. Massachusetts has made great strides in the Medicaid Accountable Care Organization (ACO) program and this model has presented us with the opportunity to design innovative care models that integrate behavioral and physical health for high-risk, vulnerable women.  I have had the pleasure to lead a clinical team who is invested in designing a program that recognizes social determinants, behavioral health, substance use and, in collaboration with our provider partners, we are better to meet the needs of women in our communities.   

What is the biggest win you’ve had in the women’s health space over the past year?   

Under the new ACO Medicaid model, we have expanded our high-risk maternal health program.  We are partnering with OB practices to identify women who have social factors (i.e., housing insecurity, nutritional insecurity, abusive environments), behavioral health, substance use, and medical conditions that place them and their unborn child at high risk.  Our team will partner with the OB practice and the woman throughout her pregnancy as well as first year post-partum to provide additional support and referrals to community resources.   

Which women, living or deceased, would you most like to sit down with and share a meal… and why?  

Michelle Obama: Prior to being the First Lady, Michelle Obama describes her calling as first, being a mother to her two daughters, and second, working with people to serve their communities and their neighbors.  She has used her platform to advocate for healthy families, service members and their families, higher education and girls’ education.  She is never afraid to fight for what she believes in or use her platform to advance initiatives that serve to improve the lives of girls and women across the world.  She is the type of leader I aspire to be and would love the opportunity to thank her for being such an incredible role model for women in leadership roles.