Gretchen Bell, MPP, is a senior program officer at the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS). In this role, she leads initiatives to improve care for older adults and people with disabilities, including multisector planning for aging and Medicare-Medicaid integration.

Prior to joining CHCS, Gretchen served as the health care initiatives lead for the Rhode Island Coalition to End Homelessness, where she oversaw the design and implementation of Rhode Island’s Pay for Success program providing permanent supportive housing services to people with high use of Medicaid services and criminal legal system involvement. Previously, Gretchen was a senior economic and policy analyst in Rhode Island’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services where she was responsible for compliance of Rhode Island’s Medicaid state plan amendment and Medicaid regulations. Gretchen also spent several years at the Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island launching the state’s demonstration to integrate care for people dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid under the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Financial Alignment Initiative.

Gretchen holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in sociology and economics from Loyola University Maryland.

In her free time, Gretchen enjoys teaching barre and yoga, spending time with her dog, going to the beach, and cooking.