SHINE Welcomes 12 New Volunteer Counselors
On June 16, 2016, the Cape and Islands Regional SHINE office certified 12 new volunteer SHINE counselors. They attended a rigorous training to become certified by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs in the various options available to Medicare beneficiaries—including Medicare Parts A & B, Medicare Advantage (Part C), Medicare prescription drug coverage (Part D), Medigap, Prescription Advantage, MassHealth, and other programs that help people with limited resources pay for health care costs.
Sheila Curtis, SHINE’s Regional Director, praised the counselors by saying “The new volunteers are all amazing and will be a huge asset to the SHINE program.” The new counselors and their future program locations are presented below. Welcome and thank you for volunteering with SHINE!
Melissa Alden, Barnstable Council on Aging
Patricia Baird, Barnstable Council on Aging
Gale Chizinski, Falmouth Council on Aging
Linda Colby, Yarmouth Council on Aging
Joanne Crowley, Barnstable Council on Aging
Marilyn Farren, Mashpee Council on Aging
Frank Fuller, Barnstable Council on Aging
Cynthia Mathison, Chatham Council on Aging
William Redmond, Barnstable Council on Aging
Sandra Rhodes, Orleans Council on Aging
David Sliwoski, Yarmouth Council on Aging
Nicole Valverde, Alzheimer’s Family Support Center, Brewster
The Barnstable County Department of Human Services administers the regional office for the Cape and Islands SHINE Program (Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone).
- Serving the Health Insurance Needs of Everyone (SHINE) provides free health insurance information, counseling, and assistance to Massachusetts residents with Medicare and their caregivers.
- SHINE is administered by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Elder Affairs in partnership with elder service agencies, Councils on Aging, and other public and private community-based organizations.
- SHINE is a State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) and is partially funded by the Federal Administration for Community Living. The Cape and Islands Regional SHINE program is also funded by Barnstable County.