Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center’s founder, Jay Cimino, always emphasized the importance of relationships in business, whether it was selling cars or providing support for the community. His mission to champion others lives on through the partnerships Mt. Carmel has cultivated over the years, ensuring program effectiveness for those who served our great nation.
One of the Center’s most steadfast partners over the past five years has been Medicare Mentors, LLC. Medicare Mentors was established by Rich and Pam Behrendt-Lewis in 2017 to provide relationship-based education and services so that every Medicare-eligible person understands the process, as well as all their individual options to optimize coverage and benefits. This is done at no cost to the client.
“I’ve been working in the Medicare space, and I always felt like I had more of a relationship with my clients, but it wasn’t just about me being their insurance agent. I would take clients with me to drive Meals on Wheels or just do a little art project,” said Pam Behrendt-Lewis. “Fast-forward about 10 years, Rich and I now have a business that can still do those things.”
Each year, Medicare Mentor’s team of over 50 navigators guides thousands of people through the often bureaucratic maze of Medicare eligibility and coverage options.
“The unique partnership shared by Medicare Mentors and Mt. Carmel began with a simple handshake between Rich Lewis and I, and our shared vision of providing a hand up to those who served,” said Bob McLaughlin, executive director of Mt. Carmel.
The Medicare Mentors team has a unique passion for serving the veteran community, as their staff is comprised of several military retirees, veterans and military spouses. That unique background allows their team members to fully understand how Medicare coverage can be used in conjunction with TRICARE, VA, CHAMPVA, and Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB).
“Medicare Mentors has partnered with Mt. Carmel in support of our military and veteran community for over five years. Everyone on their staff is a veteran and understands the challenges faced by many of our senior veterans planning their post-retirement healthcare,” McLaughlin said.
The support that Medicare Mentors provides to Mt. Carmel reaches far beyond Medicare navigation and advocacy and has become much more of a crucial part of the day-to-day operations of Mt. Carmel.
“The relationship evolved from having a part-time info table in our lobby to now having a full-time on-site operational office in the Mt. Carmel facility. Additionally, Medicare Mentors has been an enduring sponsor of our major fundraisers as well as being frequent volunteers at our numerous outreach events,” McLaughlin noted.
Medicare Mentors has been a beacon of support, often times helping with Mt. Carmel events throughout the community.
“I knew that our business was much more than just helping people with Medicare,” Rich Lewis explained. “It was connecting people to services that they needed to be able to have a good fulfilling life. What we found in Mt. Carmel was that same idea of having this culture of connecting and making sure people were getting the services that they needed without having to hunt for them themselves or go all over to town. Our cultures really match,” Lewis explained.
With the partnership between Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center and Medicare Mentors being one of the first and longest lasting partnerships, not only have they provided stability to Mt. Carmel’s client base — but also helped to develop the blueprint for subsequent partnerships added into Mt. Carmel’s hub-and-spoke approach, which has proven wildly successful.
“Medicare Mentors sets the standard for this essential collaboration. Without such tremendous partners, our continued mission success and program expansion would not be possible,” McLaughlin said.
Partners like Medicare Mentors allow Mt. Carmel to remain a one-stop shop for comprehensive services that improve and enrich lives, and guarantee that all donor funds are used in the most appropriate and efficient way possible to support service members, veterans, and their families.
Click here to view this article in Mt. Carmel Veteran Service Center’s 2025 Annual Report