Russell Lusak To Chair Home Care Association of New York State's Board of Directors
05/08/25
For Immediate Release
Contact
Brandon Vogel
518.810.0658
RUSSELL LUSAK TO CHAIR HOME CARE ASSOCIATION OF NEW YORK STATE’s BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Russell Lusak, Chief Operating Officer of Selfhelp Community Services, is the new chair of the board of directors of the Home Care Association of New York State (HCANYS), succeeding Michelle Mazzacco, Executive Vice President of St. Peter’s Partners Continuing Care, who has led the board since May 2023.
“HCANYS looks forward to Russ’s vision, creativity, energy, and incredible talents in leading the HCANYS Board and the Association” said HCANYS President and CEO Al Cardillo. “He has been instrumental in his steadfast work as HCANYS’ Vice-Chair, Board Officer, Executive Committee Member, and, indeed, as a major leader in all of New York State’s health care system. The Association now welcomes his expertise as HCANYS Chair.”
"We are immensely proud that Russ will chair the Board of Directors for the leading trade association for home care providers in New York," said Stuart C. Kaplan, Chief Executive Officer of Selfhelp. "As our Chief Operating Officer, he has leveraged his administrative and technology expertise to strengthen our organization, overseeing expansions in our service lines, and guiding Selfhelp into the Information Age by spearheading massive data and IT transitions. We are eager to see him bring this experience to his new role as the Chair of the Board for HCANYS."
An influential voice in health policy, Lusak has more than 30 years of healthcare experience spanning hospitals, pediatric and geriatric long-term care, continuing care retirement communities, and home and community-based services (HCBS). In his current role, he leads strategic operations for workforce, government affairs, managed care, and data innovation. Since joining Selfhelp in 2007, Mr. Lusak has spearheaded service expansions, technology transformations, and secured many grants to enhance care delivery and infrastructure.
A key driver of innovation, Lusak has led wide-ranging initiatives such as implementing new care transitions programs, launching a care management company, developing advanced analytics capabilities, and transitioning home and community-based programs to new data platforms. He has also led Selfhelp’s wide area network implementation, construction and office relocation projects, and integrations with hospital health information exchanges.
He has served on the Board of Directors for the Home Care Association of New York State (HCANYS) since 2008, including an active term until 2018 and a reappointment in 2019. In 2023, he was elected Vice Chairman of the Board. Throughout his service, he has contributed to the Executive, Finance, Policy, Nominating, Quality and Information Technology Committees. He also represents the HCBS sector in broader state-level initiatives, having been appointed by the New York State Department of Health (DOH) to the Transparency, Evaluation, and Health Information Technology Workgroup, the Social Determinants of Health Workgroup, and the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), where he contributes to shaping data governance and regulatory policy for health information exchange.
He holds a Master of Public Administration in Health Care Management and is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator in New York.
HCANYS' Board of Directors is responsible for promoting and implementing a vision and strategic policy direction for the home care industry and the Association.
HCANYS is a statewide health organization comprised of member providers, health plans and allied organizations delivering home and community-based care to several hundred thousand New Yorkers annually. Its mission is “to promote and enhance the quality and accessibility for health care and support at home.”
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