Carol Raphael

Carol Raphael, of New York, NY., was elected by the AARP Board of Directors as vice chair of the board for the 2012-2014 biennium. She joined the board in 2010.

Download a high-resolution photo of Carol Raphael.

Life Perspectives

I am a Fellow at Harvard University and I chair the New York eHealth Collaborative, a public-private partnership working to advance the adoption of health information technology.

I'm the former president and chief executive officer of the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY), the largest nonprofit home health care organization in the United States. VNSNY provides comprehensive programs in post-acute care, long-term care, hospice and palliative care as well as rehabilitation and mental health to 30,000 patients each day, and operated the largest long-term managed care plan in New York state. In this capacity, I saw in a personal way how life can change in an instant when a person has an accident or an injury or suddenly faces a serious illness.

As a result of my work, I have come to understand that people very much want to heal, recover and remain as independent as they possibly can in their own home. It has made me appreciate that 80 to 85 percent of care in the home is provided by families and friends, and there is a need to support them as they try mightily to provide care, often in very challenging situations. Additionally, it is vital to understand and respect people's cultural values and beliefs if you want to provide good care. And given the diversity of the population served by VNSNY, the clinical staff speaks 50 languages.

One of my most memorable experiences occurred on Sept. 11, 2001. It made me appreciate the courage and dedication of our staff and the important role government can play at critical points in our history. On that day, we were caring for 1,400 patients who lived in the area around the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan. These patients ranged from a person in our hospice program who had a few days of life, to a blind diabetic, to a 35-year-old who had been in a car accident and was paralyzed for the rest of his life. Many of these patients were completely dependent on our ability to provide care for them.

We were able to work closely with the mayor's office, the police, the fire department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington, D.C., to obtain trucks and special passes to be able to enter the cordoned-off zone. Our nurses, physical and occupational therapists, physicians, and home health aides just rose to the occasion despite their fear, their concern for their families and the great uncertainty.

Many of them did not leave their patients. Several of them walked up more than 30 flights of stairs to see a patient. We put up cots in our offices so people who lived far away from downtown Manhattan were able to stay over for up to two weeks while they continued to provide care.

As I have become involved with AARP, I have seen the vital role it plays in helping to ensure that options are available for individuals at different stages and transitions in their lives no matter where they live, their family structures, their work status and their economic circumstances.

Expertise

Health care policy, economics and management, particularly in chronic, long-term and end-of-life care, nursing, workforce and technology.

Education

M.P.A., Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; Visiting Fellow, Kings Fund, United Kingdom; M.Ed., Boston University School of Education; B.A., City College of City University of New York.

Experience

Raphael is an Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard University. She was the president and chief executive officer of Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY), which is the largest nonprofit home health agency in the United States, from 1989 to 2011. Prior to joining VNSNY, Raphael held positions as Director of Operations Management at Mount Sinai Medical Center and Executive Deputy Commissioner of the Human Resources Administration in charge of the Medicaid and Public Assistance programs in New York.

Volunteer experience

Boards: Raphael serves on the AARP Board of Directors' Member and Social Impact Committee and as a trustee of the AARP Insurance Trust and the National Policy Council, and served on the AARP Foundation Women's Leadership Circle. She chairs the New York eHealth Collaborative, a public-private partnership working to advance the adoption of health information technology in New York state. She is the chair of the Long-Term Quality Alliance, a member of the National Quality Forum Coordinating Committee where she chairs its Post Acute/Long-Term Care Workgroup and a member of New York State Governor Cuomo’s Medicaid Redesign Team.

Other: Raphael was a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) from 1999 to 2005, and of the New York State Hospital Review and Planning Council from 1992 to 2004. She served on the Lifetime/Excellus Board until 2010 and, in addition to AARP, is on the boards of Pace University, the Continuing Care Leadership Coalition and the Citizens Budget Commission. She is a member of numerous advisory boards including the Harvard School of Public Health's Health Policy Management Executive Council, the New York City Health and Mental Hygiene Advisory Council, the New York City Age-Friendly Commission, the Atlantic Philanthropies Geriatrics Practice Scholars National Advisory Board, the New York University School of Nursing Advisory Board and the Markle Foundation's Connecting for Health Steering Committee. In addition, she has served on many health policy committees including several at the Institute of Medicine. She has authored papers and presentations on post-acute, long-term and end-of-life care and co-edited the book Home Based Care for a New Century.

Honors

Named one of top 50 Most Powerful Women in New York City by Crain's Business; A fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine; Distinguished Service Award from the Brookdale Center on Aging of Hunter College; Monroe and Rose Lovinger Humanitarian Award from Regional Aid for Interim Needs (RAIN); Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Pace University; President's Award from Women in Health Management; named Alumni of the Year by Harvard University Kennedy School of Government; received RAICES' Homero Rosado Leadership Award from the Spanish Speaking Elderly Council; and an Excellence Award from the New York Association of Ambulatory Care; named to the Academy of Women Achievers of the YWCA and recognized by the Medicare Rights Center as its 2011 Honoree.

Request Carol Raphael as a speaker for your event.