Grant Partners

Immigrant Family Services Institutes will build a sustainable program to provide counseling and case management to community members experiencing social and emotional difficulties.  Through training and technical assistance,  service providers will be educated on Haitian mental health needs and stigmas and on best practices for promoting individual and community-wide mental health.

This grant was made in response to COVID-19 pandemic

The YWCA Central Massachusetts will assist the BCBSMA Foundation staff in conducting a focus group to understand the needs, concerns, and challenges facing organizations of color and organizations working in communities of color.  The focus group will also help the Foundation identify potential solutions to change the systems, policies, and structures that perpetuate racial inequities in health in Massachusetts.

To support an emergency relief fund for immigrant families amid the COVID-19 pandemic.This grant was made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Massachusetts League of Community Health Center's (MLCHC) key focus will be continued advocacy for primary care to ensure community health centers are prepared and central to the MassHealth Waiver discussion and explore ways to enhance the protection and authority of primary care providers across model types. MLCHC will continue its effort to build a case for the need for a Compliant Federally Qualified Health Center Payment; health centers, with their extensive federal requirements and expectations, rely on strong federal payment protections that outline a bundled payment methodology for all visit types. MLCHC will continue to build on its longstanding success in workforce programming by pursuing a legislative workforce agenda, including Nurse Practitioner Residency legislation; Loan Repayment legislation; and Medicaid Graduate Medical Education restoration with an emphasis on community-based primary care training and psychiatry. 

Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center will enhance partnerships with other community organizations in the region for outreach and enrollment services and it will increase visibility in the community where the most vulnerable clients are likely to congregate, including community centers, cultural events, and libraries. To better assist clients, the health center will implement a schedule to increase access to assistance. It will proactively provide clients with the tools they need to prevent lapses in coverage and will work with insurers to obtain lists of members who are up for renewal, supporting those patients in the re-determination process. 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.

Hilltown Community Health Center will increase staff time for patient navigators and community health workers, along with obtaining Community Sustainable Agriculture shares for food insecure patients.

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

To support immediate health and safety issues facing vulnerable young adults with housing instability during the pandemic, offering basic needs items, along with increased mental and physical health supports. They anticipate continued negative effects on clients’ mental health and are actively building relationships with appropriate providers as well as encouraging active learning and personal growth during this time.

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

Bay Cove Human Services Cape Cod Emergency Services Program (CCESP) will expand behavioral health urgent care services--encompassing mental health conditions, substance use disorders (SUD), and co-occurring disorders--to difficult to reach and isolated areas of Cape Cod. The program will increase outreach efforts to support individuals with urgent crises before they become emergencies, including regular ride alongs with police departments to proactively identify emerging crises at an earlier stage and to encourage more police departments to call the ESP in at the first sign of constituent in distress. 

To meet increased needs resulting from the pandemic, including for grocery, sanitation, and personal protective equipment.

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

To support a 20-week CSA program with weekly distribution of farm fresh food and nutrition/cooking resources providing food security to meet increased demand as a result of COVID-19. JR partners with the Community Health Center of Franklin County through a direct referral program, enrolling food insecure patients into the CSA program. JR also works with affordable housing complexes, offering year-round food access/health equity programming.

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

To hire a strategic planning consultant to help Boston Cancer Support develop a three-year strategic plan.

Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) will identify new ways to conduct virtual organizing in response to the ongoing pandemic. BCIL will continue to provide personal protective equipment to people with disabilities and advocate with MassHealth for stepped-up personal protective equipment distribution for people with disabilities. A key focus area for BCIL will be advocating for increased effectiveness with new One Care plans, a plan that combines MassHealth and Medicare benefits. Additionally, BCIL will continue to co-coordinate the Dignity Alliance of MA, a new advocacy effort that has attracted over 30 groups committed to real change beyond nursing home reform. It will also continue its involvement with the Disability Advocates Advancing our Healthcare Rights Coalition, focusing on social determinants of health.

Brockton Neighborhood Health Center, which serves a community with one of the state’s highest number of uninsured residents, will partner with local organizations to expand its reach to specific populations, including immigrants, recently or chronically unemployed, residents recovering from substance use disorder, probationers and parolees. 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.

To customize the exterior, obtain permits, train volunteers, and purchase equipment for a food truck to provide nutritious smoothies for people experiencing food insecurity and homelessness in Boston.

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

Health Imperative will assist the BCBSMA Foundation staff in conducting a focus group to understand the needs, concerns, and challenges facing organizations of color and organizations working in communities of color.  The focus group will also help the Foundation identify potential solutions to change the systems, policies, and structures that perpetuate racial inequities in health in Massachusetts.