Grant Partners

The Massachusetts Law Reform Institute will advocate on the following key issues: ensuring affordable and accessible health care for vulnerable populations, improving the administration of public coverage programs, ensuring Affordable Care Act implementation benefits low-income and vulnerable populations, protecting the rights and enhancing services for those dually eligible for Medicaid and Medicare. The program will ensure elders have access to services to prevent or delay institutionalization and that consumers have a voice in health care reform.

Steppingstone, Inc. will partner with Stanley Street Treatment and Resources (SSTAR) to create a new program called MyCare, an effort to promote a more pro-active approach to health care for those in Steppingstone’s residential recovery programs. The target population for MyCare is persons in early recovery from chronic substance abuse and mental health disorders.  Over 70% of this population has recent histories of homelessness and more than 70% have chronic conditions, in addition to their substance abuse or mental health disorders. The project will begin with residents of its Fall River women’s program in year one and will incorporate the Fall River men’s program in the second year, and its Stone Residence for chronically homeless individuals in the third year. The program projects to serve 465 clients over the three years with one-on-one assistance and intervention. 

The Massachusetts Senior Action Council will enable the voice of seniors in pursuit of two key objectives.  First, to defend current health coverage which is essential for vulnerable seniors and people with disabilities to obtain needed services.  Second, for the development of a robust advocacy strategy for improving existing health care systems, restraining health care cost growth, and redressing current inequities caused by coverage gaps and variations in quality.

Judge Baker Children's Center (JBCC) will implement the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children (MATCH) in four outpatient clinics in the Greater Boston area as a step toward bringing the model to scale in Massachusetts.  In addition, JBCC will compare the costs of treatment using MATCH with typical treatment costs at the participating sites.  MATCH will be utilized to treat children with multiple complex disorders, including some combination of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and disruptive conduct, including the problems associated with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.  Treatment Response Assessment for Children (TRAC) will be used as an outcome measurement system that guides clinicians through the implementation of MATCH.  

The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition will develop its organizing framework by engaging a statewide coalition to monitor the continued implementation of health reform and its effect on immigrant communities. The program will promote positive policy change for greater immigrant access to affordable health care and educate communities to advocate for access to health care coverage including defense of the Health Safety Net.

Holyoke Health Center will serve 300 patients at high-risk for preventable hospitalization, re-hospitalization, unnecessary emergency department visits, or adverse drug events due to diabetes. The project will begin with identifying patients with diabetes with an unnecessary emergency room visit and recent hospitalization at Holyoke Medical Center, or eight or more prescriptions for diabetes.  A partnership with the Massachusetts Medicaid program will identify high-cost patients and work to understand how to predict which are amenable to disease management programs, leading to more effective, lower-cost services.

Brockton Neighborhood Health Center will provide traditional outreach and individual assistance with applications, referrals to primary care providers, education on health plans, and assistance with annual renewals. The program will focus on local food pantries and the Plymouth House of Corrections.