Grant Partners

Public Health Institute of Western 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.

Samaritans, Inc will upgrade their video conference and webinar capacities to conduct virtual workshops for youth and their caregivers. Samaritans will focus these workshops on individuals in communities experiencing health inequities who are particularly vulnerable during these challenging times.

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

Roca, Inc. will transition its innovative approach to behavioral health for young adults so that interactive cognitive-behavioral theory (CBT) and educational training can be delivered virtually. It will also work to combine its skills in engagement, outreach, and CBT, with the more traditional skills of Community Health Workers and Therapeutic Mentors, to maximize the number of young people engaged and retained in appropriate levels of both non-clinical and clinical care. 

This grant was made in response to COVID-19 pandemic

Advocates will purchase Zoom accounts, computer monitors, laptops, and printers for six recently hired bilingual clinicians to expand access to behavioral health care for low-income Latino individuals and families.  Funding will also provide equipment to two medical assistants to improve their efficiency when scheduling appointments and updating client charts.

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

Volunteers In Medicine Berkshires 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.

Lowell Community Health Center will provide multi-cultural communication and outreach efforts with a focus on immigrant and communities of color and expand its capacity for medical interpretation to ensure that patients are referred to trusted partners to address identified health-related social needs.

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

Trinity Boston Connects will provide clinical services for youth workers who experience cost barriers to accessing therapy and are experiencing a decline in mental health care access due to significant changes in their routine, family income, or from being unemployed due to the pandemic.

This grant was made in response to COVID-19 pandemic

William James College will pilot the Behavioral Health Service Corps (BHSC) program that will engage 20-25 recent college graduates who wish to spend a year learning about and working in behavioral health organizations. BHSC scholars will become employees of behavioral health host organization in inpatient units, home-based services, residential treatment, and recovery centers, among others. A key focus of this project is to both diversify and grow the behavioral health workforce. 

Casa Esperanza will maintain and expand its telehealth infrastructure and build staff resilience to better support patients. It will hire bilingual clinical facilitators to enhance and sustain their successful groups for staff to process trauma and stress related to pandemic care.

This grant was made in response to COVID-19 pandemic

Family Health Center of Worcester will develop a formal plan to install a telehealth console on the Community Builders property, increasing access to primary care and behavioral health services for households without access to the internet or technology in their home.

This grant is made in relationship to the Going Beyond Health Care grant program.

Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless will continue to partner with Lynn Community Health Center to assist referred families with food and housing assistance and develop a short-and long-term plan for continuing to address their health-related social needs.  

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

YMCA of Metro North will support the Lynn Youth Mental Health Collaborative, a partnership between the Lynn YMCA and Lynn Community Health Center. The partnership will include the following components: a Youth Mental Health Clinic; embedded Trauma-Informed Care practices in all Lynn YMCA Youth Programs; resource-sharing fairs to connect families to outside services; and a “Rx for the Y” providing parents with free Y memberships to increase physical activity.

This grant was made in response to COVID-19 pandemic

United Teen Equality Center (UTEC) will support the Circling Home pilot project, a new comprehensive behavioral health project for incarcerated and/or probation and parole-involved young adults (ages 18-25), extending from pre- to post-release without interruption in service or care provider. UTEC serves young people who have not succeeded in other shorter-term programming or who may have been underserved by the judicial system; many of their clients have active substance use issues or are diagnosed with a mental illness. By improving the continuum of care through the reentry process, UTEC expects to improve recidivism and health outcomes.

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 Regional Environmental Council will bring fresh, local produce to the Community Builders properties and will develop a no/low contact mobile pre-order model to ensure safe and uninterrupted access to healthy foods. It will provide culturally and linguistically responsive training to increase access to food security resources including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the state’s Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).

This grant is made in relationship to the Going Beyond Health Care grant program.