Latest news with #AtriusHealthEquityFoundation
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Health
- 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
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Partnership to improve maternal, cardiometabolic health in Chicopee, New Bedford
BOSTON (WWLP) – A new partnership has been formed to help identify needs that are related to maternal health or social drivers of cardiometabolic health in Massachusetts. 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 Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
