MASStrong for Health Care Workers

Are you a nursing home aide, home health worker, personal care attendant, or long-term care aide working in Massachusetts?


Come join a MASStrong Support Group! As a thank you for participating and filling out surveys, you can receive up to $180 in gift cards.


You deserve support. Being a frontline health care worker is hard work and getting harder due to workforce shortages and increased demand for services. We know you give everything you have to the people you care for including your time, energy, and support. The MASStrong Support Groups are designed to give you the support you deserve.



Two easy ways to sign up:



1. Contact your employer or union representative for a signup link.

OR

2. If you are part of this workforce but not affiliated with a union or employer, please email us with your phone number to  or call us at 413-206-6249 for a simple phone screen.


What else do I need to know? 

MASStrong groups are:

  • Safe, confidential, and free
  • 1.5 hours long
  • Take place via Zoom with a phone, tablet, or computer 
  • Led by trained group leaders who are deeply knowledgeable about your work

MASStrong is a collaboration between GPS Group Peer Support and the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety. For more information, call 413-206-6249, or email


MASStrong participants will be given an option to complete surveys, for which they can receive a gift card as a thank you. The information collected will be used in a research study to measure the effectiveness of the group wellness support. Participation in the research study is optional. 


MASStrong is funded by the state of Massachusetts with federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, as part of a response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on frontline health care workers.




“Having that group, even though we just met three times, was

incredible,” says Latoya, who works in Greater Boston and attended the sessions via Zoom. “It was good to have my own little group of friends who understood exactly where I was coming from.”

"I think it’s very important to have support like that,” she says.

“Being able to share my stories with people who get it and were going through similar things was so helpful. Even when I didn’t have problems to talk about, I looked forward to meeting with a group of people that I could relate to. I would think that maybe that week I was going to cheer somebody else up. Because cheering someone else up also feels good.”

Laytoya - Home Health Care Aide and MASStrong Participant

Read more about Laytoya's story here. 



In a job where she largely works alone and does not have co-workers to vent to about the daily frustrations common to working as a PCA or CNA, Karleen said the group-based support helped her emotionally. Not only would she attend future sessions, but she would also recommend them to others in her field.

“The main reason I liked the group is because I don’t have anybody in my life who experiences the same thing as me. I don’t have anybody to say, ‘Oh, I’ve been cleaning somebody’s house all day, now I gotta go home and do my own,’ Like, nobody gets it,”


Karleen - Personal Care Attendant and MASStrong Participant

Read more about Karleen’s story here.