Shout out to PCG Cares Boston! On Friday, March 23rd, several Boston staffers volunteered at City Year Boston for the Spring into Service Event. Volunteers made bookmarks and created and assembled MCAS supply goody bags for students in five Boston Public Schools. Groups also put together shelving for a local Boston homeless shelter. Thanks to all Boston folks who participated.

On April 2, 2018, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued instructions to Medicare Advantage plans encouraging more flexible service coverage policies in such plans for 2019. Such capitated plans cover the same services as traditional, fee-for-service Medicare, plus supplemental benefits adopted by the plan with CMS approval. Under the new CMS instructions, any Medicare Advantage plan would have additional flexibility to cover supplemental benefits to compensate for physical impairments, diminish the impact of injuries or health conditions, and/or reduce avoidable emergency room utilization.

The Health Proposal Center has been volunteering with Boston Health Care for the Homeless (BHCH), a well-known healthcare clinic and respite care shelter specifically catering to homeless men, women, and children, for the past few fiscal quarters. On Friday, March 16th, the team played bingo with the respite care residents, visiting with some old and new faces. The Health Proposal Center's 'Keep Calm and Write On' t-shirts were a hit for Bingo prizes.

Members of the Clarkston, WA Social Security Advocacy Management Services (SSAMS™) team partnered with the Inland Northwest (NW) Blood Center in an organized blood drive.  The Blood Center brought one of their mobile donation buses to the PCG office and coordinated donations throughout the day on March 29, 2018.  PCG had eight volunteers donate blood for the Inland NW Blood Center, which is part of a network that provides blood, blood components and special services to patients in more than 1,000 hospitals across the country.