Grant Partners

To redevelop the organization’s website. 

The Dimock Center will utilize its practice management system to run registries of individuals who might be at risk of losing their coverage based on insurance transitions; lead workshops and information sessions at the health center and with community partner agencies to educate patients on how to apply for, enroll in, and maintain health coverage; notify patients within four to six weeks of application to ensured they received their coverage confirmation letter, remind them of any expiration or renewal dates, and confirm next steps to ensure coverage is maintained; set up alerts in the electronic health record to notify staff of coverage expiration dates a few weeks prior to flag patients that need help with renewal applications.

East Boston Neighborhood Health Center will target uninsured patients prior to their next scheduled appointment and provide enrollment assistance.  To address churn, it will utilize its electronic medical record to identify individuals whose coverage is about to lapse, and refer them to follow-up assistance. It will develop a health insurance education module that includes low-literacy multilingual materials and a workshop curriculum that helps patients navigate the system.  Ten health insurance literacy information sessions will be held each year. 

Way Finders, Inc. is a community development organization and the largest nonprofit housing provider in Western Massachusetts.  In partnership with Behavioral Health Network (BHN) and Mercy Medical Center (Mercy), the team will provide a consistent Family Care Coordinator who will anchor, coordinate and oversee the clients’ progress from the moment they enter shelter until one year past the attainment of secure, permanent housing.  They will address barriers that lead to housing instability and poor health outcomes, connecting with BHN for behavioral health services and Mercy for medical care, all the while navigating social service systems and providing wraparound services like employment support, financial education, access to nutritious food, and afterschool programs.  The planning phase of this initiative will develop a case management approach that could expand coordinated or joint services to all families in the shelter portfolio. 

To redesign organization’s website, making it more user friendly and accessible to those with visual impairment and literacy issues.

Police Assisted Addiction and Recovery Initiative will strengthen its peer recovery coach and referral program with the Boston Police Department and expand weekly multi-agency collaborations that help identify the highest risk individuals in Boston communities. 

Lahey Health Behavioral Services (LHBS) Emergency Services Program provides rapid assessment and immediate stabilization services to people in need in the greater Lowell area. The grant will help to enhance their urgent care clinic by introducing telemedicine for real-time psychiatric prescribing, using community health workers to assist clients following an emergent or urgent evaluation, and developing an integrated HER to improve crisis treatment and follow-up planning.

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.

To purchase an electrocardiography (EKG) machine and cart for the Behavioral Health department.

Brien Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (The Brien Center) offers a variety of services for people with substance use and co-occurring disorders. The Brien Center partners with Berkshire Health Systems where all psychiatric providers are contracted with the hospital system and are embedded in its programs. The Brien Center will hire a Program Manager and Care Coordinator to ensure same-day access for outpatient services and develop the capability to address urgent and emergent needs on-site.  

Health Care For All (HCFA) will work to protect and expand affordable, accessible health care within Massachusetts by advocating for the continuation and improvement of state and federal health and safety net policies. As a leader of the Oral Health Advocacy Task Force and the Affordable Care Today (ACT!!) Coalition, HCFA will educate policymakers about health care access issues and will engage in community organizing, coalition-building initiatives, and media outreach. Additionally, they will seek to identify under-resourced but effective mental health programs that may benefit from expansion.

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.  

The Joint Committee for Children’s Health Care in Everett will promote messages about health insurance enrollment via its Facebook page, newsletters, and the City of Everett’s website; place multilingual media ads and coordinate appearances and PSAs for radio stations and cable TV programs; coordinate large-scale enrollment events in partnership with community organizations; offer weekly night drop-in sessions for clients to bring questions or copies of letters to receive group level assistance with enrollment questions; create a renewal flyer to explain the process to applicants; work with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance agency to assist clients who must reconcile their tax credits; and maintain and develop referral systems with provider organizations.

To hire a technology consultant and purchase a new computer to enhance its data intake and protocols to capture social determinants of health information.

The Greater Boston Food Bank will partner with Tufts Medical Center and the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center to evaluate the impact of a monthly mobile produce market on diet-related chronic diseases and health care utilization among registered GLFHC patients. The study aims to determine the effect of the mobile market attendance on such utilization measures as ED visits, hospitalizations and missed doctors’ visits.