Grant Partners

Funding to hire a consultant to aid in the reopening of women's health and adult programs for in-person visits, which had been suspended due to COVID-19. The consultant will implement an electronic medical record system within the organization for easier scheduling and to better accommodate telehealth visits.

Brookview House is a Black and Latinx women-led community-based agency working for justice, equity, and systemic change for low-income families. Through a two-generation, culturally responsive approach, Brookview provides housing with on-site programs to improve health, educational achievement, and economic stability. Brookview will develop and implement a grassroots community engagement campaign that identifies the intersection of substance use and oral health and the impact on young people – including a social media component. They will also work to increase the health advocacy skills and build grassroots power of the Brookview Youth Advisory Board.   

This grant funded the development of an issue brief summarizing the key components of Chapter 102 that will affect health and health care in Massachusetts.

Disability Policy Consortium (DPC) promotes health justice and ending health disparities for people with disabilities.  DPC will work with people of color-led organizations for more equitable distribution of health resources and better data collection on marginalized communities.  DPC will advocate for regulatory overhaul focused on changing MassHealth policies around absorbency products and wheelchair repair.  In addition, it will continue its work with the Dignity Alliance Massachusetts to fight for fundamental long-term care reform, from banning double-occupancy rooms to diverting significant funding to home-based care.

Somali Parents Advocacy Center for Education’s (SPACE) initiative will build resilience among Somali-American families and increase their understanding of the public health and health delivery system. SPACE will host workshops and conversations, training, and hands-on experiential learning about health, wellbeing, physical fitness, nutrition, preventive health care, and natural environmental physical supports.  These events will create a foundation to deepen culturally appropriate comprehension and advance new behaviors related to living a healthy lifestyle.

Boston Medical Center will enhance the Boston Emergency Services Team (BEST) model to improve the delivery of high-quality, culturally competent care to individuals with mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders. It seeks to strengthen the rapid assessment and treatment of individuals while providing referrals and access to appropriate services in the least restrictive environment, promoting safety and recovery, and providing medical support and triage to divert people from the emergency department and inpatient psychiatric units.

Funding to address racial equity in vaccine access through outreach and education in Brockton’s Cape Verdean, Ecuadoran, Haitian, Honduran, and Mexican communities.

This grant was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW) assists patients and clients with insurance applications and renewals, provides education on how to use and keep coverage, and works to outreach to agencies that serve its target populations – people with low-income, the uninsured, as well as immigrants and refugees. FHCW provides culturally and linguistically competent health insurance outreach and enrollment assistance to individuals who are or may become uninsured. During the grant year, it will outreach to agencies that serve populations of interest including soup kitchens, food pantries, and other community-based organizations; attend events at area agencies; develop multilingual marketing collateral; and advertise in multicultural media outlets. FHCW will also assist eligible and interested clients with SNAP applications.

In partnership with the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, DeeDee's Cry will work to develop a burial and resource guide for families impacted by suicide. The guide will create and support a more equitable and compassionate response to families impacted by suicide, especially low-income/working-class people of color.  The Suicide Loss Survivor's Healing Journey Guide will contain burial and planning funeral information, mental health resources, and local support groups. DeeDee's Cry and the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute will identify other organizations and local agencies to distribute this guide to families in need.

Codman Square Health Center (CSHC) will train and activate a corps of telehealth navigators toward the goal of integrating the telehealth experience into CSHC patient care model to provide a path to achieving better overall patient health. This initiative will help patients understand what to expect from a virtual visit, from check-in to follow-up. Telehealth navigators will help patients set up and understand how to access their online health information, access appointments, and communicate with their care team.

Funding to hire a clinician to develop a program for its volunteer group facilitators about nervous system responses to trauma. The program will include simple strategies for the facilitators to teach clients to use to regulate their nervous system if activated during and after groups or during times of crisis.

Funding to partially support a 10-week, research-based, daily mental health check-in series. The series teaches positive coping strategies and builds cognitive-behavior skills to support youth in pandemic-related healing.

This grant was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Massachusetts Public Health Association (MPHA) promotes a healthy Massachusetts through advocacy, community organizing, and coalition building. MPHA works with community groups, state policy organizations, health care institutions, state agencies, and others to identify community health challenges, design policy solutions, and advocate for action.  It will advocate to improve and invest in our local public health system so that local public health departments can meet the challenges of today and tomorrow.   It will organize to win inclusion of Alliance for Community Health Integration recommendations in the next 1115 waiver and advance a suite of housing and transportation policy reforms, including protections for renters and working-class homeowners, investments in public transit, and stronger accountability for air quality improvements. 

Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee’s (CEOC) multi-faceted approach to health insurance outreach and enrollment services focuses on individuals who have remained uninsured, as well as those who need assistance in maintaining and using coverage. CEOC provides resources to assist individuals to better understand and maintain health insurance that meets their individual needs, reaching them where they receive services, or in a familiar place, such salons, restaurants, and bars. CEOC also assists with SNAP applications during health insurance enrollment, on site, remotely, and at community events, such as shelters, public housing, senior centers, or food pantries.

Funding to purchase office equipment and computers for new staff hired to meet increased demand due to the pandemic.

This grant was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.