LYNN — When Greater Lynn Senior Services CEO Kathryn Burns assumed her new position in March, she knew she was taking the helm during a challenging time for the organization.
But while some people may have been deterred from taking on a leadership role during such upheaval, those challenges were part of what attracted Burns, a veteran in elder care, to the job.
“(One) thing that really sold me on GLSS was the outstanding leadership team that has survived a lot of stuff over the past few years,” said Burns. “I saw the challenges they faced and how they just kept on going because the mission was important.”
Before Burns, 60, of Salem, started her new position on March 16, the Lynn-based agency had been without a permanent leader since last September, when then-CEO Paul Crowley was placed on paid leave following a poor performance review from the Board of Directors.
Crowley eventually resigned last October 31 amid allegations from a former staff member that he had harassed one of the seniors.
Around the same time, in September 2019, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced that it was dropping GLSS as a service provider for The RIDE, which transports many seniors and others with disabilities to essential services such as grocery stores and doctors’ offices.
GLSS ceased delivery of all transportation services on July 1, effectively ending decades of providing services for The RIDE, which Burns called a “big loss.
“We lost 310 of our employees because of it and we were sorry to lose that great team because they were truly the face of GLSS in the community,” said Burns.
On top of all that upheaval, Burns joined GLSS as the COVID-19 pandemic was starting to impact all facets of daily life. As it became apparent that the virus was becoming a crisis, she said GLSS had to move fast and productively to best serve their clients in Lynn and surrounding towns.
As GLSS was still providing transportation services through its MBTA contract at the time, Burns said the organization had to ensure that their drivers were provided with personal protective equipment.
Another challenge was balancing how to provide care to their clients while keeping staff safe without clear directives at the beginning of the outbreak.
GLSS was tested on that front in the first few weeks, when two of their Meals on Wheels drivers were exposed to a person who tested positive for the virus. As a result, 14 drivers had to self-quarantine for two weeks, which left the agency in a bind.
But Burns said the GLSS team stepped up to continue delivering meals through the program, with staff and local volunteers assuming those driving duties temporarily. The organization delivers meals to homebound people aged 60-plus through Meals on Wheels.
“This also required us to partner very closely with Lynn Housing Authority to make sure when our staff went into those buildings they were safe and not exposing the elders,” said Burns.
“Because of the right work at the time, we were able to make those connections and make it a safe process. Thankfully, no one else got sick on the Meals on Wheels team and we were able to get back to delivering meals in the regular way.”
Burns said requests for services such as Meals on Wheels, home care, and case management have gone up during the pandemic, because many seniors are asking for help that would otherwise be provided by now-remote family members.
Despite the challenges, Burns said she is excited about the new direction that GLSS is taking.
“GLSS has a lot of interesting and exciting collaborations and other adventures ahead of us,” said Burns. “Right now, we’re working really hard to repair some community collaborations and get into some more joint ventures with other community agencies to best serve the broadest scope of people we can.”
She is particularly excited to be working with Element Care and the Lynn Community Health Center on several collaborative efforts which include helping the health center with data tracking and reporting, and continuing to provide meals to many of Element Care’s PACE (Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly) sites.
And she knows the importance of rebuilding trust with the community following the agency’s recent difficulties, which she cited as one of her major goals as CEO.
“My main goal is to get us back out into the community as a positive force for good provision of care for elders and folks under 55 and 60,” said Burns. “My personal goals are to increase the positive awareness of Greater Lynn Senior Services and all of its great programs, to sort of be the ambassador for all of the good work that’s happening here.”
Burns has nearly 20 years of experience working in senior services. Before joining GLSS, she served as executive director of Mercy LIFE of Massachusetts, which is part of the state’s PACE program. Before that, she ran the PACE program at Harbor Health Services Inc. in Mattapan for five years.
She was director of geriatric services at Northeast Health Systems at Beverly Hospital and chief operating officer at Element Care in Lynn, when it was known as the Elder Service Plan of the North Shore.
During her time at Elder Service, Burns worked closely with GLSS team members and cites the agency’s founding CEO, Vince Lique, who died in 2006, as an inspiration.
“When the GLSS CEO position opened up, I thought finally, I can come back and keep Vince’s mission alive and thriving,” said Burns.
