Grant Partners

Family Health Center of Worcester will focus insurance outreach and enrollment efforts towards refugee, immigrant, and asylee populations through clinics and community events with an emphasis on dispelling misinformation, myths, and fears related to public charge. It will proactively outreach to patients who are newly uninsured as a result of a change in life circumstances and will hold new patient education sessions monthly in languages other than English. Family Health Center of Worcester will also conduct ongoing reviews of information collected from Health Insurance Literacy surveys and provide group learning opportunities for its navigators to identify and address themes and content for staff training. 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.

Ecu-Health Care will support clients in accessing and maintaining health insurance coverage through one-on-one education and outreach in partnership with local community organizations.  It will also participate in a variety of community events to build awareness of its services and to provide coverage information to consumers. It will disseminate information about coverage through social media, flyers, and brochures throughout the community, and will proactively outreach to uninsured Berkshire Medical Center patients to provide insurance enrollment support.

Health Care for All (HCFA) will continue to focus on advocating for and with consumers on issues related to health care access, quality, and cost.  It will convene a new online learning program called Health Justice Academy: Building Health Care Power in Our Communities. This unique training is designed to educate consumers and organizations and build support for important policy proposals during the pandemic and beyond. A key focus area for HCFA is working with immigrant communities and mixed-status households by partnering with community-based organizations and Spanish and Portuguese-language media outlets to spread the news that seeking COVID-19 testing and treatment will not be “counted” toward a public charge determination. HCFA will also advocate for legislation that will expand comprehensive MassHealth coverage to children who would currently be eligible for MassHealth except for their immigration status.

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) serves one of the largest Latinx populations in the state and several of the communities it serves have among the highest rates of uninsurance. EBNHC will conduct outreach in partnership with local community organizations, proactively assist self-pay patients in applying for coverage, and promote enrollment services through social media and in clinical areas of the health center. It will also cross-train call center staff to provide appropriate health insurance information (pre-and-post enrollment) and support to 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.

Project Bread, in partnership with the Family Health Center of Worcester and the Regional Environmental Council, is addressing food insecurity to increase the consumption of healthy foods among the patients of Family Health Center of Worcester. The partner organizations are formalizing a referral system for patients of the health center who screen positive for food insecurity to connect them to available resources in the community that will contribute to sustainable nutrition solutions. This includes its partner the Regional Environmental Council, which enables access to affordable, local produce through farmers markets and mobile markets. To support these activities, Project Bread is increasing its capacity by developing the infrastructure necessary for this cross-sectoral partnership to be sustained.

Mass Senior Action Council (MSAC) will collaborate with MLRI and HCFA to educate members about COVID-related changes within MassHealth to identify areas for long term change and identify opportunities to shape evolving telehealth policy. In addition, MSAC will advocate for further expansion of the Medicare Savings Programs and improve prescription drug cost affordability through legislative and administrative actions.

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.

Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands (CACCI), which serves a community with a limited number of insurance plans and available providers, will provide education and ongoing support to consumers as they navigate the health care system and access services. CACCI works with organizations across the region to ensure that consumers enroll in and maintain coverage through advertising, cultural and ethnic events, health and human service providers, businesses, and outreach to specific populations, including immigrant communities. CACCI offers extended hours and tools in languages other than English to increase knowledge and to empower consumers to proactively maintain health care coverage and access the care they need.

Massachusetts Law Reform Institute (MLRI) will provide legal expertise to coalitions and organizations that maintain and improve health care coverage for low-income Massachusetts residents. MLRI will conduct policy research and analyses to help Massachusetts-based and national partners understand how federal regulations may impact coverage. Additionally, MLRI will advocate for ways to reduce churn among MassHealth beneficiaries and will work to ensure that MassHealth members know their rights as consumers.

Boston Center for Independent Living (BCIL) will represent the interests of individuals with disabilities to policymakers and health care delivery system leaders. BCIL will work to ensure the availability of funds for accessible medical equipment, the continuation of funding for One Care plans, and the stability of MassHealth’s partnership with community-based organizations. BCIL will partner with other organizations in representing the disability community to accountable care organizations. Additionally, BCIL will continue its involvement with the Disability Advocates Advancing our Healthcare Rights (DAAHR) Coalition, focusing on social determinants of health.

Project Bread is a statewide food security organization dedicated to combating hunger and promoting positive health outcomes through access, advocacy, engagement, and education. This initiative will focus on low-income residents in Worcester County, particularly of Southbridge and Webster, and coordinate services for patients of Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW).  In partnership with the Regional Environmental Council, Health Leads, and the UMass Extension Nutrition Education Program, medical providers at the health center will refer food-insecure clients to an Enrollment Coordinator.  This position will pre-screen families for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, administer enrollment assistance, provide case management, and assist with the re-certification process.  The Coordinator also ensures clients are aware of supplemental food and nutrition resources such as the Healthy Incentive Program; food pantries; the Women, Infants, and Children program; school meals; etc.  The project will address how the social service partners of this team can collect data on food access to share with FHCW, implement a mobile market to offer more healthy produce, and strengthen its nutrition education activities. 

Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands will participate in outreach activities in Cape Cod and Nantucket; utilize local and social media to inform clients of updated information on MassHealth and Connector plans; outreach to unemployed populations through a partnership with Career Opportunities Center and to immigrant communities through the Immigration Resource Center; use plain language tools developed for multilingual audiences; and coordinate with Volunteer Income Tax Assistance tax sites in sharing materials with clients as they receive tax preparation assistance.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness Massachusetts (NAMI Mass) will work to improve access to mental health services and to reduce stigma regarding mental health conditions. Priorities include restoring state funding and reimbursement for behavioral health services and improving commercial coverage of emergency services. Additionally, NAMI Mass will work on creating a statewide mental health training program for law enforcement. To achieve these goals, NAMI Mass will conduct policy analyses, organize local chapters and peer support program members, and participate in coalitions and stakeholder alliances.

Caring Health Center will implement an extensive media and grassroots community outreach campaign to promote enrollment via multilingual television, radio, newspaper, print, social media, and website advertisements; deliver outreach at numerous community events and venues; support MassHealth members impacted by the Accountable Care Organization transition, increasing knowledge and awareness of new coverage options; develop and facilitate multilingual discussion groups to understand health system challenges; and develop facilitators’ guides, educational handouts, and a survey instrument to assess consumers’ understanding of public health insurance availability, policies, and literacy.

Metro Housing Boston (Metro Housing) provides innovative and personalized services that help individuals and families achieve housing stability, economic self-sufficiency, and an improved quality of life.  Partnered with Boston Medical Center (BMC), Metro Housing established the Housing to Health program, which targets low- and moderate-income families with children, and administers emergency funds via the state’s Residential Assistance for Families in Transition program.  BMC screens primary care patients to identify those with housing instability through indicators like rent and utility arrearages, eviction notices, frequent moves, and living in overcrowded conditions.  The team will focus their planning year on developing a data management solution that bridges the various systems, and allows partners access to comprehensive information on all services that a patient receives.  Health Leads will ensure that BMC patients are able to identify, access, and choose the resources they need to be healthy by leveraging referrals and connections to social services, particularly housing, through its REACH database.  Medical Legal Partnership-Boston will provide legal consultation on issues of patient privacy and access to data.