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Betsy Lehman Center seeks permanent trust authority to accept federal and private funds
Summary
Barbara Fain, executive director of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety, testified in support of technical amendments (H.11408 / S.843) that would authorize a permanent trust account for the center to receive and spend federal and private grants.
Barbara Fain, executive director of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety, asked the Joint Committee on Healthcare Finance to support technical amendments that would authorize a permanent trust account to receive federal and private funding.
The Betsy Lehman Center — an independent state agency affiliated with the Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA) and established under Chapter 224 — currently operates under a temporary trust account created by the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. Fain said A&F has asked for a statutory authorization to make the trust permanent so the center can continue to accept grants from federal agencies and private foundations without recurring extensions.
Why it matters: The center’s statutory mandate is to reduce preventable medical harm across Massachusetts’ continuum of care. Permanent trust authorization would clarify the center’s authority to accept and spend external funds and reduce administrative uncertainty, Fain said.
Testimony highlights
- Fain described the proposed changes as technical and narrowly focused on trust authorization and interagency data‑sharing authority already reflected in last session’s market‑review legislation.
- She said the center had “sought such funding, which we have done with occasional success,” and that the permanent trust would “remove any uncertainty about the sender's authority to continue accepting federal and private funds.”
Ending
Fain offered to answer questions and told the committee she looks forward to working with members during the session; the committee took the testimony and did not vote at the hearing.
