Page 34 - Healthcare News Jan/Feb 2022

Food Bank Receives $500,000 Grant from Cooley Dickinson Hospital
NORTHAMPTON — A new partnership between Cooley Dickinson Hospital, a member of Mass General Brigham, and the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts will benefit patients who experience food insecurity. The Food Bank will receive $500,000 from Mass General Brigham over four years to launch the partnership, which is expected to start this spring.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food inse- curity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. Patients screened for food insecurity, as well as other social determinants of health, including housing and transportation, will be referred to the new program if inadequate access to food surfaces as a need.
“We put patients at the center of all that we do by providing exceptional and compassionate care, and food security is an important component of ensuring good health,” Cooley Dickinson President and CEO Dr. Lyn- nette Watkins said. “This funding is part of Mass General Brigham’s $50 million investment in a new, comprehen- sive community-grant strategy to improve the health of patients and communities.”
The Food Bank’s executive director, Andrew More- house, is excited about the partnership. “We know we can ensure patients have access to healthier food to lead healthier lives. We also know we can support members of our community to become more economically stable and food-secure.”
Since 2018, the Food Bank has collaborated with local healthcare providers to address food insecurity through the Food Bank’s Food Insecurity Screening and Referral Initiative (FISRI). With the funding from Mass Gen-
eral Brigham, the Food Bank will be able to expand the screening and referral program to more patients who are food-insecure and hire a dedicated food-assistance referral coordinator.
The coordinator will provide FISRI services to patients referred by Cooley Dickinson who do not qualify for Flex- ible Services. (To be eligible for Flexible Services, a patient must be enrolled in one of MassHealth’s accountable-care organizations, or ACOs. Flexible Services support the broader MassHealth goal of addressing the health-related social needs of its members as part of the ACO program,
according to mass.gov.) FISRI is a safety net for commu- nity members who do not quality for Flexible Services but who are food-insecure.
Morehouse said the coordinator will be able to serve 200 patients annually for a total of 800 participants over the four-year partnership. “Ultimately, we know this ser- vice will benefit entire households, including at least two times more people, or a total of 2,400 individuals.”
Many Mass General Brigham patients, including 37% in its MassHealth program, report experiencing food insecurity, said Dr. Elsie Taveras, chief community health equity officer for Mass General Brigham. “Throughout the pandemic, we have worked with organizations across the Commonwealth to make the greatest impact we could for the communities we serve. By significantly increasing our food-security efforts, we can continue to help address the challenges and barriers that many people in the communi- ties we serve are facing. Expanding our reach into Western Mass. through the services provided by the Food Bank directly connects to our mission.”
Mercy Medical Center Receives Three Trinity Health Grants
SPRINGFIELD — Mercy Medical Center’s Commu- nity Health and Well Being (CHWB) Department has received three separate grants totaling $272,000 to support a variety of community issues identified in the hospital’s 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The grants, made available through Trinity Health, require Mercy’s CHWB Department to facilitate and manage the funding in partnership with community-based organi- zations that have an established relationship with the targeted population of individuals who are underserved by currently available services.
The first grant, totaling $90,000, will support the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts through the Youth Mental Health Coalition and Live Well Springfield. The funding will be used to expand communications capacity to support health education, policy advocacy, and community outreach regarding mental-health and substance-abuse issues, as well as heart disease and asthma, by increasing staff coordination, developing
campaign messaging, and implementing and advertising initiatives. Funding will also be used to expand accessibil- ity of campaigns for individuals who speak Spanish or have disabilities.
The second grant, totaling $50,000, will help Way Finders provide assistance to residents to sustain health, well-being, and housing, especially in light of challenges tied to the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will address housing security, social isolation, language isolation, food security, financial literacy, transportation, physical health, and emergent resident needs.
The third grant, totaling $132,000, will be used to sup- port two programs that offer mental-health services: GRIT (Grow, Reimagine, Inspire, Transform) Holyoke and
the Safe Haven Program in Westfield. Of that, $112,000 will be used to install a fire-suppression system at GRIT Holyoke that will allow the Mental Health Assoc. (MHA) to expand the capacity of its residence specifically to LG- BTQ+ individuals who are struggling with mental-health
and substance-use disorders. The remaining $20,000 will be used to create a ‘safe room’ at MHA’s Safe Haven that will enable the program to serve more homeless individu- als with severe mental-health illness each year.
Every three years, Trinity Health hospitals conduct a CHNA with community partners, using data and commu- nity input to measure the relative health and well-being of a community. The results of the assessment are then used to create a strategy outlining how the hospital, along with community partners, will address the needs of the local community.
“At Mercy Medical Center, our mission calls us to serve as a transforming, healing presence. We are grateful to Trinity Health for these grants as they will have a signifi- cant impact on our efforts to further that mission and expand services to vulnerable patient populations,” said Deborah Bitsoli, president of Mercy Medical Center and Trinity Health Of New England Medical Group.
BHN Launches New Opioid Treatment Program in Orange
ORANGE — Behavioral Health Network (BHN) has partnered with the Community Health Center of Franklin County (CHCFC) to help those struggling with opioid de- pendence. The new Orange Opioid Treatment Program is located at 119 New Athol Road, Suite 210, at a co-location within CHCFC’s newest facility.
The two-building, 22,000-square-foot health center pro- vides medical and dental care and nutritional advice along with behavioral-health and substance-abuse treatment.
BHN’s Orange Opioid Treatment Program provides methadone treatment for individuals 18 and older,
seven days a week, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies to provide a holistic approach to the treatment of substance-use disorders.
The clinic is open Monday to Friday, 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and dosing hours are Monday to Friday, 5:45 a.m. to
noon, and Saturday and Sunday, 7 to 10 a.m. CHCFC will continue to offer buprenorphine and injectable naltrexone to aid those in recovery.
Methadone is a medication approved by the FDA to treat opioid-use disorder. When taken as prescribed, methadone is safe and effective and helps individuals achieve and sustain recovery and reclaim active and meaningful lives.
“BHN is extremely pleased to be partnering with CHCFC to provide this much-needed and life-saving ser- vice,” BHN President and CEO Steve Winn said. “Opioid addiction continues to plague our communities, and the new Orange clinic allows BHN to provide more access to medication-assisted treatment to more people in need of assistance.”
Dr. Ruth Potee, medical director for substance-use
disorders at BHN, noted that “this will be the first rural methadone clinic in the state. Methadone is one of the most effective treatments for opioid-use disorder. We are pleased the patients and families in North Quabbin now have ready access to this life-saving medication.”
CHCFC CEO Allison van der Velden added that “we are very excited to partner with BHN’s Opioid Treatment Program. The Community Health Center is dedicated
to lowering barriers for people so they can access the
full scope of health services and support that they need. Whether entering care through CHCFC or BHN, patients will have better access to the services of both partners.”
For more information about the new Orange Opioid Treatment Program, call (978) 674-7240. Most insurance plans are accepted.
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