Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation Awards Grants

SPRINGFIELD — Nine health care organizations in Western Mass. were among 48 organizations across the state in January to receive grants totaling $275,000 from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. Foundation. The grants range from $10,000 to $50,000. The organizations were:

Mason, Brightwood, and High Street Health Centers of Baystate Medical Center, $50,000, to support coordination of disease management, financial counseling, and enrollment in a medical home for Springfield’s uninsured;Cooley Dickinson Hospital, $50,000, to improve coordinated care for uninsured Northampton area residents, including outreach, enrollment, and links to 100 providers offering care on a free or sliding-fee-scale basis;

Ecu-Health Care, $50,000, to expand outreach, enrollment, and case-management services for approximately 4,000 uninsured people in North Adams and 10 surrounding towns;

Holyoke Health Center, $50,000, to continue the health center’s efforts to dramatically decrease utilization of the hospital emergency department for primary care by improving patient outreach, care coordination, and follow-up services for uninsured and low-income Holyoke residents;

Mercy Hospital, $20,000, to ensure that homeless and Vietnamese MassHealth members receive ongoing education, support, and case management to connect them with comprehensive health care services;

Berkshire Health Systems, $15,000, for continued funding of the Advocacy for Access program that provides post-enrollment and specialized enrollment services to uninsured people of Central and Southern Berkshire County; new MassHealth enrollees; and patients leaving substance abuse, psychiatric, and correctional programs;

Hilltown Community Health Center, $15,000, for outreach, enrollment, and education to assist MassHealth members in fully using their benefits;

Franklin Community Action Corporation, $15,000, for its Healthy Connections program to expand case management for North Quabbin-area residents eligible for Mass-Health;

Nueva Experanza, $10,000, in Holyoke, to expand enrollment and post-enrollment assistance, including orientation to the health care system, patients’ rights, and primary care provider selection for new MassHealth recipients.