Alumni Success

Heath Rath

Heath Rath is currently the Executive Director of PACE KC in Kansas City, Missouri, where he leads the organization in providing community-based care for older adults. Throughout his professional career, Heath has been dedicated to building and expanding programs that are evidence-based and enhance the quality of life for seniors. His degree in Gerontology has been instrumental in providing him with a deep understanding of the aging process and the specific needs of older adults, which he uses to inform his work at PACE KC. With a focus on programs that allow older adults to age in place, particularly PACE programs, Heath has played an instrumental role in working with Swope Health to successfully advocate for PACE funding in Missouri. As a result, PACE KC is set to begin offering PACE services to residents of Jackson County in the fall of 2023. Prior to his role at PACE KC, Heath served as the Director of Midland Care Connection's Ann Street PACE Center in Kansas City, Kansas where he was responsible for developing and launching the first PACE program in the Kansas City metro area.

 

Shawn Bloom

Shawn Bloom is the President and CEO of the National PACE Association (NPA). Shawn has been with NPA since 2000 at which time there were 18 PACE organizations operating in 6 states. Currently, there are 147 PACE organizations in 31 states serving approximately 60,000 individuals. Prior to NPA, Shawn spent 5 years as the Executive Director of the Missouri Association of Homes for the Aging (MoAHA), which represented not-for-profit long-term health care and housing facilities in the state of Missouri. Shawn previously worked in the Policy and Governmental Affairs Division of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging (AAHSA) – now called Leading Age – a Washington, D.C. based trade association that represents not-for-profit long-term health and housing services for the aging. Shawn has testified before the U.S. Congress, state legislative committees as well as the National Academy of Sciences on elderly and long-term care policy issues. Shawn received his B.S. in biochemistry and gerontology from Kansas State University and completed his Masters coursework in long term care at the University of North Texas, Center for Studies in Aging. Shawn began his career in the field working as a nursing home Certified Nurse Aide in high school and college.

 

Kelsi Ball Salizar

Working as a Registered Nurse for nearly ten years, there is not a single day that I do not utilize my secondary major in Gerontology to care for my patients and to teach my clinical staff as an educator. As our society continues to live longer and develop more serious health needs, providing care to the aging population has become of upmost importance in the healthcare field and I am able to utilize my Gerontology background to provide the best care to my patients and their families. Having a secondary major in Gerontology has helped me to advance in my career over the years, due to the uniqueness of its study and the incredible need for healthcare workers to be educated in the field to care for the aging population. I am incredibly thankful for the faculty and staff at the Center on Aging and the education I received through the Gerontology program at K-State. It has given me a solid foundation for my nursing career and the ability to provide the upmost care and compassion to my patients and their families.

 

Heidi Pickerell

Heidi Pickerell is the Senior Vice-President of Adult Services at Capper Foundation. Capper Foundation provides Intellectual and Developmentally Disabled adults residential and day services in Topeka, El Dorado, Winfield and Arkansas City, Kansas. Often, an overlooked sector of the population, the I/DD population is living longer and their parents and guardians are aging as well. There’s still much work needed for the future. Heidi graduated from Kansas State University with a BS in Family Studies and Community Services and a secondary in Gerontology with an emphasis in Long-Term Care Administration. Previously, Heidi was the Vice-President/Executive Director of PACE (Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly) with Midland Care Connection, Inc. Prior to Midland Care, Heidi became the President/CEO of Meals on Wheels of Northeast Kansas in 2011. In 2017, a services agreement between Midland Care and Meals on Wheels to align potential opportunities to serve more seniors was reached. Previously, she worked with Midland since 1996. Professionally, Heidi’s main areas of emphasis included: strategic planning, grant writing, contract negotiations and program development. During the tenure at Midland, she had oversight of the Adult Day Program, initiating new programs that included a Residential Facility, and opening the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) in Topeka. Heidi has served on National PACE Association’s Board of Directors, Kansas State University’s College Of Health And Human Sciences Advisory Board and The Jayhawk Area Agency on Aging Board of Directors