Recent Awards

Boston Health Care for the Homeless (BHCHP) is one of the leading health care organizations providing health care to homeless individuals and families in the greater Boston area. People experiencing homelessness (PEH) are among the most vulnerable and unwell members of our community, which has been underscored by the COVID-19 pandemic. BHCHP’s sophisticated knowledge of homelessness and the health care system allows them to assist clients with enrollment, retention, and navigation of publicly subsidized health insurance programs. During the grant year, BHCP will expand access to enrollment and retention assistance for patients by embedding services on-site at various locations and integrated to new services like BHCHP’s expanded dental clinic and BHCHP’s family clinic within Horizons for Homeless Children, which serves families from various neighborhoods and shelters.

The Mayor’s Health Line (MHL) provides health insurance outreach and enrollment services, communicating with residents in the languages they prefer and where they live and feel safe. The MHL focuses on Boston neighborhoods that experience some of the highest rates of uninsurance, including Mattapan, Dorchester, and East Boston. During the grant year MHL will launch a “Young Men’s campaign” with community partners to help increase outreach and education amongst young men of color about health insurance coverage. In addition, MHL will utilize ethnic media, host community events, and work with local businesses to promote outreach and enrollment.

Cambridge Economic Opportunity Committee’s (CEOC) one-stop bundled services model allows them to serve the whole person or family and not just one need. This approach results in wider access to an array of benefits, including health insurance. CEOC has ongoing relationships with their clients and strong community partnerships allowing them to support clients through the federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and life changes that may impact their coverage status. During the grant period, CEOC will provide multi-lingual outreach to the remaining uninsured by going where they receive services, conducting community and education events, and advertising on local and ethnic social media in English, Haitian Creole, Amharic, Portuguese, and Spanish. They will also expand outreach to neighborhoods that experience high rates of uninsurance with a focus on the Latino, Haitian, African American, and Brazilian communities; individuals and families under 300% of the Federal Poverty Level; single, younger, and people of color; and employment sectors with a high rate of uninsurance

Caring Health Center (CHC) works to increase insurance enrollment and access to benefits among uninsured and underinsured residents of the Springfield area, including immigrants, refugees, non-English speaking individuals, persons of color, formerly incarcerated individuals, and those experiencing unemployment and/or homelessness. CHCH will focus on persons at high risk of falling out of coverage – including immigrants and refugees; individuals with limited English or health literacy; and those experiencing homelessness, unemployment, and formerly incarcerated individuals. They will provide focused community outreach and education using multilingual and multimedia campaigns, materials, and educational presentations.

Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands (CACCI) serves a vital region of the state and its partnerships with organizations across the Cape and Islands will expand its presence in areas of the region that experience higher uninsurance rates. The organization will also build their relationships with local businesses and develop a toolkit of health insurance outreach materials in Brazilian, Portuguese, Spanish, and Haitian Creole.  

Ecu-Health Care (EHC) helps uninsured and underinsured residents of North Berkshire access health care. EHC provides individuals with assistance with new health insurance applications, renewals, redeterminations, and plan renewals. During the grant year, EHC will work with providers and community organizations, including local coalitions, food pantries, housing complexes, and schools to reach individuals and families to assist with accessing and maintaining health coverage.

Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW) is a full-service health center that assists patients and clients with insurance applications and renewals, provides education on how to use and keep coverage, and works with agencies that serve people with low-income, individuals without insurance, as well as immigrants and refugees. Worcester continues to be a community with pockets of high rates of uninsurance compared to other parts of the state. FHCW will provide application and renewal assistance with a focus on those who may fall on and off coverage, as well as conduct community-based outreach focused on those who may be food insecure, refugees or immigrants, and other area events.

Fishing Partnership (FP) reaches important areas that continue to experience high uninsurance rates and a largely independent worker population that often lacks access to critical services.

Using their experience with enrollment and outreach, the FP will launch an outreach campaign in New Bedford, Fall River, Lynn, Quincy, Plymouth, Gloucester, and Cape Cod to reach the fishing community and their families –with a focus on women, people of color, non-English speakers, and individuals with mental health and/or substance use disorders - with materials and sharing information through presentations and events about health coverage.

Greater Lawrence Action Council (GLCAC) is a social service agency rooted in the community. GLCAC will concentrate its efforts in Lawrence, and expand services to Lowell and Haverhill, which are all areas with high uninsurance. During the grant period, they will conduct community-based outreach and enrollment using data to help focus and reach specific communities with Community Action, Inc. and Community Teamwork, Inc. to reach clients using print and digital media. They will focus on communities with the most barriers to accessing and maintaining health coverage by using data and mapping to guide their outreach and enrollment efforts.

JCCHCE assists people with low- and moderate-incomes of diverse backgrounds to apply for health insurance. It has partnerships with schools and community organizations as a vehicle to connect with community members and families.

Under this grant, JCCHCE will provide consistent culturally and linguistically appropriate information on health insurance and conduct outreach to clients in places where they frequent and develop new partnerships to reach more young adults.

La Colaborativa is a trusted partner to Latinx immigrants in Chelsea, East Boston, Everett, and Revere. The organization's mission is to empower Latinx immigrants to enhance the social and economic health of the community and its people.

Under this grant, La Colaborativa will partner with East Boston Neighborhood Health Center to expand their capacity to provide outreach and enrollment services and add Certified Application Counselors to staff.  In addition, they will conduct outreach and communications efforts about health care coverage with health equity promotores via door-to-door outreach, social media, and by talking to members.