COO and Chief Program Officer
Ms. Zionts, COO/Chief Program Officer for the Jewish Healthcare Foundation, is responsible for the grant agenda for the Foundation and its operating arms, Pittsburgh Regional Health Initiative and Health Careers Futures, and WHAMglobal. Her areas of focus include: Aging/Long-Term Care and End of Life, Quality & Safety, Health Careers (including Fellowships and Community Health Workers), and Women’s Health. She currently leads the Foundation’s Phase II Revisiting the Teaching Nursing Home Initiative: Dissemination Across PA (2023-2026), having led the 2021-2023 pilot project in three regions of Pennsylvania that demonstrated how enhanced partnerships between academic nursing schools and skilled nursing facilities improve quality outcomes and address workforce challenges, and the Statewide Long Term Care Learning Network for Nursing Facilities. During 2020 and 2021, she led the Department of Human Services’ COVID-19 Learning Networks for the Educational Support and Clinical Coaching and Regional Response Health Collaborative Programs for Skilled Nursing and Personal Care/Assisted Living Residences throughout PA. She had previously led the planning for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s transition to Managed Long Term Services and Supports/Community HealthChoices, as well as the Foundation’s Senior Connections Initiative. She was the lead principal team member on federally funded projects including the CMS-funded RAVEN (Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents). She has been active in many of the Foundation’s initiatives including its women’s heart health initiative, Working Hearts, Closure and Caregiver Champions Initiatives, the JHF Fellowship On Death and Dying: The Elephant in the Room, Tomorrow’s HealthCare, the Foundation’s Champions Programs, the Pennsylvania Health Funders Collaborative, and in the development of relevant publications including Longer Lives Better Health: Helping Seniors Preserve their Physical, Mental and Social Well-being, Moderating the Effects of Aging: A Caregiver’s Manual, and Closure Community Conversations Implementation Guide. Ms. Zionts has been a member of Grantmakers in Aging for over 25 years and has served on the Board and many of its committees, including the Finance Committee, and leads the PA LTC Policy Initiative. She was the 2020 Kelly Pruitt Age Friendly Leadership Award winner from the Southwestern PA Partnership for Aging. Ms. Zionts is a native of Montreal, Canada who holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry and an MBA, both from Concordia University. Prior to joining the Foundation, she was employed for 10 years at Forbes Health System in the areas of planning and continuous quality improvement.