Baystate Wing Hospital Awards $63,000 in Grants to Local Agencies

PALMER — Baystate Wing Hospital announced an investment of $63,000 in grants to benefit local community-based nonprofit organizations. The grant awards were given to create opportunities to improve social and economic determinants of health to improve quality of life for people living in the region. 

“These grant investments represent Baystate Wing Hospital’s commitment to support and work with our community partners to focus on public-health-related programs and initiatives that reduce health disparities, promote community wellness, and improve access to care in our region,” said Molly Gray, president and chief administrative officer for Baystate Health’s Eastern Region, which includes Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital. 

Programs supported by the hospital’s grant investments include:

• Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp. The $50,000 grant to the QVCDC will continue to support its Quaboag Connector Transportation Initiative, which is addressing the serious lack of transportation to employment, education, healthcare, workforce training, shopping, and benefit services within and outside the region. The service began in January 2017 and now provides close to 1,000 rides monthly, a result due in part to the $170,000 Baystate Wing Hospital and the Baystate Mary Lane medical staff has invested in local transportation over the past three years.

• Ware Public School 3D Printer Filament Project. The $3,038 grant awarded to Ware High School supports student interest in a manufacturing career and will aid in the purchase of a 3D printer and the filament supplies needed for the printer. The 3D printer will allow students to gain first-hand experience in the specialized field of manufacturing within the walls of the school.

• Quaboag Regional High School. The $10,000 grant to establish a certified nursing assistant (CNA) program will assist the school in reaching its goal of providing this training within the walls of the school to students in partnership with the Holyoke Community College E2E satellite facility in Ware. The CNA training program, scheduled to begin in September, will include 260 hours of classroom instruction and 48 hours of clinical training. Certifications for students that complete the course will include nursing assistant/home health aide, CPR/first aid, and healthcare interactive for basic or advanced dementia care.

“As part of our continued commitment to reduce health disparities in our region,” Gray said, “we are proud to partner with area community agencies who know and understand the unique needs and challenges of our community and can help us create local solutions.”