Grant Partners

The CHA Collaborative Practice Model was developed in 2011 to support children with mental health and substance abuse treatment needs at the Windsor Street Clinic to test the concept that greater and earlier integration of care would improve their physical health. The program is focused on: improving behavioral health services for at-risk children and adolescents by providing timely access to culturally competent evaluation and treatment; enhancing integrated care between pediatricians and mental health providers, including increased understanding of unique family cultures and social dynamics that impact the child’s health; improving family engagement in behavioral health treatment, and building better communication between providers and parents; providing greater outreach and follow-up processes with the children and their parents, through outreach from and involvement of two tri-lingual family support specialists;  reducing unnecessary expense associated with treatment delays or poor quality of care; and, expanding the integrated care model throughout other clinics in the CHA system.

Community Action Committee of Cape Cod & Islands will continue individualized “Access to Care – Navigating the Massachusetts Health Care System” educational sessions for consumers, and design a training guide identifying MassHealth mailings and navigating the complex health care system.  They will conduct a series of outreach events to educate the public on changes through the Affordable Care Act.  

To purchase three computers and a projector for medical case managers and group facilitators supporting refugee clients. 

Healthy Lives:  Brookline Community Mental Health Center will serve 200 low-income adults living in Brookline or Boston who present with serious mental illness (schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, severe anxiety, or PTSD) and at least two chronic medical conditions (including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or COPD).  The health center will engage patients in their care, help them coordinate the services they receive, provide wellness interventions, offer disease management programs, home visits, and individual and group counseling. The intent of the project is to help patients move from passive recipients to active participants in their health care and by doing so, reduce cost and improve quality.

CHL is the largest provider of mental health, substance use disorders and homeless services in Central MA, serving more than 19,000 unique individuals each year. In October 2010, CHL received a four-year SAMHSA grant to implement the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Integration (PBHCI) program to improve access to and engagement in primary care and wellness services for more than 400 adults seeking mental health and substance abuse treatment at CHL. To meet these service needs, the Wellness Center was developed at CHL wherein primary care physicians, nurses, nurse case managers and peer specialists delivered medical care and a variety of wellness interventions for adult consumersbetween the ages of 18 and 72 with behavioral health needs. Key goals of the initiative are to continue to enhance (a) care coordination and communication between the providers at the Wellness Center, the CHL outpatient clinic, and those in the community who provide other types of services to CHL consumers, and (b) electronic health record infrastructure and processes.   

To purchase portable vision equipment. 

Community Health Center of Franklin County will provide a continuum of eligibility, enrollment and review services, resource referrals to primary care, and case management.  They will educate consumers on how to navigate health coverage and care systems through computer access, including the Health Information Exchange.  Educational materials will be developed for patients to take a more active role in their health coverage and care.  

To hire a consultant to upgrade its IT central server and exchange.

Ecu-Health Care will continue its education and marketing campaign, and provide enrollment and renewal assistance on public health insurance programs.  They will train and educate applicants on navigating the health care system. 

To hire a strategic planning consulting firm, Cambridge Concord Associates.

Project Directors: James Maxwell, PhD, Director of Research and Policy (Principal Investigator) and Pat Fairchild, MA, Vice President of JSI US Division“An Assessment of CHCs’ Implementation of Alternative Payment and Delivery System Reforms” will assess the current status and readiness of Community Health Centers (CHCs) to implement payment and delivery system reforms as well as to identify the primary barriers and facilitators to implementing these reforms. Relying on qualitative data collected through key informant interviews among staff at 18-20 CHCs and quantitative data available through the Uniform Data Set (UDS) from the Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA), the research team plans to: identify the financial incentives and structural requirements being placed on CHCs based on the key components of their contracts for Medicaid’s Primary Care Payment Reform Initiative (PCPRI) and with Medicaid Managed Care Organization (MCO) plans; document the current status of CHCs in implementing components of payment and delivery system reforms; highlight and elucidate the primary barriers and facilitators to implementing reforms; and analyze the extent to which risk-based contracting and alternative payment reforms are associated with changes in CHCs’ costs and revenues. 

Whittier Street Health Center will provide eligibility assistance and coordinate care for patients, making referrals within the health center, with other health care providers, and community partners.  They will continue to foster the Building Vibrant Communities program to employ housing development residents as community health workers to assist consumers with their health and social needs.  Community health workers will be trained in patient navigation to equip consumers in connecting with primary care and other social and health services.  

Massachusetts Senior Action Council will advocate for health care access for the over 65 population.  It will advocate for its constituents around growing out-of-pocket costs and affordability, expanding access to community-based long-term care by eliminating disparities in eligibility for personal care attendant services, and ensuring adequate funding for home care.  Finally, the organization will increase awareness of and streamline enrollment for existing senior health care programs.

To hire a development consultant.