Partnership to improve maternal, cardiometabolic health in Chicopee, New Bedford
How to prevent the spread of viruses this season
The Executive Office of Health and Human Services states that the Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that they have partnered with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation (BCBSMA) and Atrius Health Equity Foundation as part of the administration's Advancing Health Equity in Massachusetts (AHEM) initiative. The AHEM works to eliminate racial, economic, and regional imbalances in health outcomes.
The partnerships will finance community-level initiatives in both Chicopee and New Bedford and will identify and understand the needs that are related to maternal health or social drivers of cardiometabolic health. Cardiometabolic disease refers to disease of the heart and blood vessels, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic kidney disease, and is a leading cause of death across Massachusetts.
They will also work to improve health outcomes in 30 communities that are identified as having the greatest health disparities for maternal health and social drivers of cardiometabolic health.
The BCBSMA Foundation approved in $100,000 in funding for the first year of a two-year Strategic Health Equity Grant to the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts. This nonprofit will lead a community engagement process in Chicopee to identify community needs related to the initiative. The work will engage communities of color and other marginalized communities to identify needs, preferred solutions, and the implementation of those solutions.
Atrius Health Equity Foundation announced that they are committing $500,000 over two years to establish Youth Creating a Healthier New Bedford, which is a youth-led initiative that empowers young people to identify the social drivers that's impacting cardiometabolic health, engages them to developing a shared agenda for promoting community health and wellness, and supports them as emerging leaders.
This is the first partnership of many that AHEM seeks to create with the private sector partners to address health inequities.
'While we recognize that disparities in these health conditions occur in these regions, we strongly believe that each community may face different challenges in addressing them, and that requires solutions at the community level,' said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh. 'I look forward to hearing from the programs in the communities, and am grateful to the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation and Atrius Health Equity Foundation for their support and partnership that will have a real difference in the lives of people in the communities.'
'We are pleased to partner with leaders from EOHHS and DPH on a place-based community engagement model that will help advance our shared health equity goals,' said Audrey Shelto, President and CEO of BCBSMA Foundation. 'Our grant partner is well-positioned to serve as a backbone organization for the AHEM initiative in Chicopee, and to support community members as they develop solutions to the health disparities in their region.'
'Improving the health and wellbeing of Chicopee residents begins with understanding the issues and complications facing our community,' said Chicopee Mayor John Vieau. 'The work sponsored by the BCBSMA Foundation and performed by the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts will help us to determine the best way to positively affect the health of our residents.'
'Our Foundation's mission is to close the life expectancy gap across Eastern Massachusetts. We're pleased to invest in organizations working to build a stronger, healthier New Bedford by supporting a future generation of youth leaders,' said Ann Hwang, MD, president of the Atrius Health Equity Foundation.
'The SouthCoast Community Foundation is pleased to be a strategic partner to this effort,' said Dr. Melanie Edwards-Tavares, President and CEO of the SouthCoast Community Foundation. 'This investment, which is a testament to the power of collaboration and community-driven solutions, builds on the strengths of New Bedford and our dedicated and talented youth.'
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
4 days ago
- Boston Globe
As Washington axes aid for the most vulnerable, legislation in Mass. would tackle inequities
It's vital work, and many of its recommendations are worth enacting. Advertisement This proposed legislation comes at a time when the Trump administration is seeking to limit diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and racial preferences. The work of the Health Equity Compact is not that. It's about finding practical solutions to address the health needs of places like Brockton, where the according to the Atrius Health Equity Foundation. Get The Gavel A weekly SCOTUS explainer newsletter by columnist Kimberly Atkins Stohr. Enter Email Sign Up One of the Compact's specific proposals, for which this editorial board Advertisement In general, anything the state can do to advance career ladders for health care workers is valuable. For example, UMass Chan Medical School just The health equity bill allows the public health commissioner to have a role in creating 'stackable' credentials for health care workers, where one credential can be added to the next, creating a career path. Another intriguing idea in the proposed bill is the creation of a trust fund to give grants to 'health equity zones,' specific communities with poor health outcomes. This is a model The In particular, at least for now, lawmakers should resist the temptation to pass new health insurance mandates. Advertisement The bill would require insurance coverage for interpreters, community health workers, and patient navigators. It is important for hospitals and health centers to be able to employ staff who help patients, including non-English speakers, navigate a complex health care system. These positions are typically funded through grants and, in some cases, by insurance under negotiated agreements or payment models. But a wide-ranging insurance mandate like the one in this bill would increase premiums for all payers — including those who can least afford them. In 2023, the Division of Insurance The bill would also require insurers to reimburse equally for telehealth and in-person care for primary care and chronic disease visits. There is ongoing debate over reimbursement rates for telehealth, which exploded in popularity during the pandemic. It's worth studying the costs and benefits of telehealth in specific specialties before mandating payment parity because ideally, telehealth would provide opportunities for cost savings. Those quibbles aside, the proposed health equity bill would move the state in the right direction. At a time when the federal government is cutting health care spending and eliminating benefits that help the poorest citizens, it would be a strong statement if Massachusetts were to take the lead in passing a bill to improve the health of people in communities that today suffer the most. Advertisement Editorials represent the views of the Boston Globe Editorial Board. Follow us
Boston Globe
16-06-2025
- Boston Globe
Changes to Rhode Island caregiver program threaten families' lifeline
My mom and I enrolled in Rhode Island's Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up It has allowed my mom and me to stay together in our home with the support of a care team – a nurse and a social worker – along with the benefit of a modest financial stipend. Before this program, my mom managed my complex medical journey alone, without taking a break, while also running our household and supporting her aging parents. Advertisement My mom is a registered nurse, but even with her training, the caretaking demands were relentless. She gave up her nursing career, instead taking on medical transcription work from home, and pushed through her own chronic pain. Shared Living finally gave her some financial breathing room, routine check-ins from a care team, and the space to care for herself – not just me. Advertisement Now, changes to the program proposed by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services could take all of that away, potentially affecting hundreds of families across the state. The changes would restrict caregivers from participating in the program if they hold financial power of attorney for the person they care for. Caregivers become central to every part of an individual's life. I live with my mom and spend nearly every moment with her. She has been with me through every diagnosis, surgery and insurance battle. No one else understands the full picture of what I have been through and what I need. There is no one else I would trust to handle decisions on my behalf – medical and financial. This might seem like a narrow policy issue but, for families in this situation, choosing someone to act as power of attorney is a personal decision about survival. For someone living with dementia, for example, the illness gradually changes how they think and communicate. The person who knew them before their illness and remembers their values, personality, routines and preferences is likely the only one who can truly advocate for what they would want. That kind of experience is not replaceable. Many people with serious health conditions or disabilities often only have one person – a daughter, a son or a parent – who does it all. The idea that someone could be disqualified from caring for their loved one because they have taken on certain legal responsibilities is backward. These are the people who are keeping families together and helping loved ones stay at home, rather than being forced into costly institutional care. Advertisement When I first learned about the proposed change, I faced a devastating set of choices: losing my mom as my caregiver, handing over decision-making to someone I do not know or trust, or leaving the Shared Living program. None of these are the right option. If this restriction moves forward, it will only make life harder for families. It will leave caregivers burned out and the people they care for with fewer and worse options. We need policies that reflect how caregiving really works and that recognize the emotional, physical and practical demands that caregiving places on families. While the state has made some revisions and I am grateful for the progress so far, there is more to do. This program should be as accessible as possible. A bill currently before the Legislature ( It is hard enough to be a caregiver. We should not make it even harder. Nikki Batsford is a Johnston resident.
Boston Globe
30-05-2025
- Boston Globe
Primary care is in crisis — and Rhode Island can't delay addressing it any longer
Advertisement Primary care providers are being asked to do more than ever before: manage complex chronic conditions, integrate behavioral health services, address social needs, and navigate fragmented systems. But they're doing it with fewer staff, declining reimbursement, and an unsustainable administrative load — particularly prior authorization and denials that delay or block needed care. Get Rhode Island News Alerts Sign up to get breaking news and interesting stories from Rhode Island in your inbox each weekday. Enter Email Sign Up There are efforts underway. The Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner has taken meaningful steps to highlight the value of primary care. Governor Dan McKee and the Executive Office of Health and Human Services have included targeted investments in the state budget. Advertisement We can't fix this overnight, but we can take meaningful steps now. Increasing Medicaid rates, removing prior authorization barriers, and creating a safe harbor for physicians seeking mental health support won't solve everything, but they will keep more doors from closing while we work toward a better system. House Speaker K. Joseph Shekarchi and Senate President Valarie Lawson have both said that fixing health care is a top priority. Now we need to see that commitment reflected in action. Legislative and budget decisions made in the coming weeks will determine whether we're managing decline, or rebuilding the foundation we know we can't do without. This isn't just about physicians. It's about every Rhode Islander who has been told to wait six months for an appointment. It's about children overdue for physicals and older adults unable to refill a prescription. The erosion of primary care affects all of us — regardless of income, ZIP code, or insurance status. Rhode Island has the tools and talent to lead the nation in building a stronger, more equitable primary care system — one that respects clinicians, pays for what matters, and removes the bureaucratic roadblocks between patients and care. But we have to choose to act — and that time is now. The real fix will take time, funding, and the political will to follow through. But the longer we wait, the harder it will be to rebuild. If we don't act, we won't just lose practices — we'll lose the foundation of health care in Rhode Island. Advertisement Dr. Peter Hollmann is a board member of the Rhode Island Medical Society.
