Grant Partners

Caring Health Center, which serves a community with a high rate of uninsurance, will provide culturally competent insurance enrollment assistance and education to patients, including insurance eligibility, applications, enrollment, policies, subsidies and tax credits, plan selection, and assistance in maintaining coverage. Caring Health Center will increase health insurance literacy through culturally and linguistically appropriate education and community outreach, including to programs serving jobseekers, unemployed persons, students, and community members who need support outside of the health center. It will also implement extensive media and grassroots community outreach campaigns. Through 2021, specific grant plans may be adjusted to meet the current health and safety guidelines to protect the wellbeing of clients, patients, and staff.

Massachusetts Association for Mental Health (MAMH) will focus on expanding the number of mental health professionals participating in MassHealth and commercial insurance, ensuring continued access to telehealth, and working with partners to advise policymakers on comprehensive parity implementation. It will continue to lead the Children’s Mental Health Campaign’s efforts to promote an effective pediatric behavioral health urgent care system. Additionally, MAMH will continue to work with the Community Behavioral Health Promotion and Prevention Commission to promote early intervention and the integration of behavioral health and pediatric primary care, and mental health education in schools to increase awareness, resiliency, and help-seeking behaviors. Additionally, MBMH will continue to support efforts to address disparities in the justice system and ensure that police reform includes meaningful efforts to support people with mental health conditions more effectively.

Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program will bridge gaps in care for homeless immigrant and non-English speaking patients by enhancing and expanding outreach and health insurance enrollment services at key locations, including shelter sites, where it sees a large volume of patients with limited English language proficiency. It will also expand access to enrollment services at its Oasis Clinic, a dedicated clinic that incorporates a variety of services to meet the needs of immigrants and patients with limited English proficiency. At the clinic, it will inform patients about their health coverage, the requirements for retaining benefits, and provide advice for overcoming logistical barriers that homelessness brings in maintaining coverage. It will also include enrollment services on its outreach van in East Boston, which serves primarily immigrant and uninsured patients. Through 2021, specific grant plans may be adjusted to meet the current health and safety guidelines to protect the wellbeing of clients, patients, and staff.

Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee (CEOC), which serves several communities with high rates of uninsured residents, will work to reduce barriers to obtaining insurance enrollment assistance by co-locating enrollment services where individuals live, or where they receive other services. CEOC will focus on locations where individuals who are more likely to be uninsured may frequent, such as food pantries, homeless shelters, single-room occupancy residences, English as a Second Language programs, cultural organizations, and job and career service programs. It will also bundle insurance enrollment assistance with its other programs, including the food pantry, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) enrollment, free tax preparation, as well as housing stabilization services.

The Dimock Center will hire a second community outreach coordinator to expand its reach in communities with high rates of uninsurance, developing relationships with community organizations, and supporting consumers to enroll in and maintain health insurance coverage. It will expand hours at its financial counseling office during the week and increase technological capacity to further aid patients in filing electronic documents. The Dimock Center will expand its efforts to reach specific populations, including seniors who may have additional barriers to enrolling in coverage, and it will continue to participate in community events, including the Latino Family Festival, Boston Public Schools Back to School festivals, and local farmers’ markets.