Community Benefits Advisory Council Awards $10K in Grants to Local Agencies

PALMER, WARE — The Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital Community Benefit Advisory Council announced a of a total of $10,000 in mini-grants to benefit local, community-based nonprofit organizations to help address unmet health and social needs in the Quaboag Hills Region of Hampshire, Hampden, and Worcester counties.

The CBAC was gifted $10,000 to be awarded as mini-grants for the purpose of addressing priority health needs. The funds were made possible from the medical staff dues paid by Baystate Mary Lane Hospital physicians over the years.

“The purpose of these grants is to positively impact the lives of people living in Ware and surrounding communities,” said Dr. Scott Siege, chief of the Department of Pediatrics for Baystate Wing Hospital and medical director for Baystate Medical Practices, Quabbin Pediatrics/Quabbin Adult Medicine in Ware. 

Programs supported by the hospital’s grant investments include:

• The Ware High School Certified Nursing Assistant Training Program, held in collaboration with Holyoke Community College, which began in September;

• Tutoring at E2E – Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp., which provides tutors in math, reading, writing, and language skills to local residents seeking to upgrade their skills for educational or job-related needs, or self-esteem;

• The Franklin Hampshire County Youth Employment Fund, the culminating project in a three-year U.S. Department of Labor Summer Jobs & Beyond initiative; and

• Welcoming Women Veterans Home at the Brookfield Institute. Grant funds will help expand the scope of the Welcome Home Place, a monthly drop-in center for veterans, to more intentionally include women who have served in the Armed Forces.

“We are excited to be working with these community partners,” said Michael Moran, president and chief administrative officer for Baystate Health’s Eastern Region, which includes Baystate Mary Lane and Baystate Wing Hospital. “They join us in our continued commitment to address social determinants of health and reduce health disparities in our region. 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.”