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Baystate Health Awards 17 Community-based Nonprofits
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health awarded $1.2 million in Better Together Grants to 17 community-based nonprofit organizations as part of its Community Benefits Program.
“Baystate Health is proud to invest
our Determination of Need Community Health Initiative funding in the communi- ties served by all four of our hospitals,” said Annamarie Golden, director of Com- munity Relations for Baystate Health. “We are honored to partner with these deserv- ing local nonprofit organizations over the next three years.”
This year’s recipients — who submit- ted requests for proposals in the fall of 2020, include Community Action Pioneer Valley, Just Roots, Musica Franklin, Stone Soup Café, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Holyoke Inc., Girls Inc. of the Valley, Project Coach, ROCA, Community Ado- lescent Resource and Education (CARE)
Center Inc., the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, Mental Health Assoc. & CORE of Greater Westfield, the town of Blandford, Quaboag Hills Community Coalition, Quaboag Valley Community Development Corp., Greater Springfield Senior Services, the Alzheimer’s Assoc., and the Literacy Project.
“Baystate’s Community Benefits Program, in partnership with our hospital Community Benefits Advisory Councils and grant-review teams, is making invest- ments through Better Together grants that will have lasting and meaningful impacts on health outcomes, health equity, and social determinants of health throughout the Pioneer Valley,” Golden said.
For this RFP, each hospital’s Com- munity Benefits Advisory Council chose a specific social determinant of health on which to focus the funding. Both Baystate Franklin Medical Center and Baystate
Wing Hospital chose to target the social environment, which will fund projects around reducing social isolation, social support for youth, building connectedness to community for low-income adults, and social justice. Baystate Medical Center funded projects in the region aimed at education, with a mix of strategies looking at after-school and summer programming for youth, access to education for young mothers, and creating opportunities for educational advancements to at-risk ado- lescents. Baystate Noble Hospital funded projects in the Greater Westfield region look at the built environment, aimed at providing increased access to food, access to recovery support, and educating older adults on digital literacy to increase access to medical care.
“The CARE Center is so thrilled to receive a Baystate Better Together grant, which will help women earn college
degrees at Bard Microcollege Holyoke, the nation’s first college designed for low- income young mothers,” said Jane Slater of the CARE Center. “We are also excited to work with the Baystate team to hone our systems to measure the impact of this powerful new college model.”
Jessica O’Neill, executive director of Just Roots, added that “local food, when made accessible, serves as a powerful connector, helping to bridge and celebrate cultures, introduce neighbors, engage family members, and knit together com- munities. In two years’ time, the Baystate Health’s Better Together award will sup- port over 8,000 instances of local food and community connection for 150 Franklin County families disproportionately im- pacted by food insecurity, isolation, and health disparities.”
Cooley Dickinson Receives $30,000 Gift to Support Childbirth Center
NORTHAMPTON — Cooley Dickin- son Hospital received a $30,000 gift from Thomson Financial Management to sup- port the Childbirth Center project, which, when completed, will offer expanded services in a newly renovated space that includes an upgraded nursery, birthing tubs, and more home-like surroundings for moms and babies.
“We believe in access to quality health- care and appreciate the opportunity to contribute to the birthing center at Cooley Dickinson,” said Renae Ransdell, senior
vice president and wealth advisor at Thomson Financial Management. “I had two very different delivery experiences, and am immensely grateful for the care and support my children, myself, and even my spouse received on both occasions. Care for our community is one of our core values at Thomson Financial Manage- ment, and we hope our donation can con- tribute to the families of our community having experiences like the ones we are so grateful for.”
The renovation of the Childbirth
Center includes refurbishing patient-care areas and support areas to make the space more comfortable for moms and babies, as well as creating a warmer, more home- like environment. In addition, the nursery will be upgraded to a Level 1B nursery to provide special newborns with extra care and attention. Once renovations are com- plete, Cooley Dickinson will be the only Level 1B nursery in Western Mass.
“This generous gift will help moms and babies right here in our community, providing access to safe, high-quality
birthing services in an environment that wraps each family with warm, compas- sionate care,” said Diane Dukette, Cooley Dickinson’s chief Development officer. “Thomson Financial has brought our fun- draising efforts for the Childbirth Center over the $2 million mark. Their support will inspire others in our community to come forward to help fund this project that is made possible from the generosity of our community.”
Pixel Health Launches Nationwide Technology-consulting Effort
HOLYOKE — COVID-19 was a wake- up call for hospitals and medical practices that were caught unprepared to meet
the digital needs of patients and clini- cians. As we emerge from the pandemic, Pixel Health, a five-company healthcare- consulting ecosystem, has rebranded itself to focus on the human perspective of healthcare technology.
“Healthcare systems are re-examining how to become more digitally relevant to the populations they serve,” Pixel Health CEO Michael Feld said. “Hospitals have a goal of meeting patients where they are (and want to be) to access and receive care. The pandemic has forced us to establish different ways to interact with patients and their families in their homes
and businesses — not just in the hospital campus or doctor’s office.”
Pixel Health, formerly GPMF Hold- ings, has been created to lead that digital transformation with a human touch.
“Patients and clinicians shouldn’t be bound by technology — they should be freed by it,” said former Cisco global healthcare executive Barbara Casey, who is now CEO of Pixel Health’s Nectar Strategic Consulting. “We see Nectar and the rest of our Pixel Health family playing a pivotal role in helping health systems to envision bold digital health strategies, to select and apply the proper technologies, and to integrate them into the fabric of the healthcare-delivery process to the benefit of all involved users and stakeholders.”
While most healthcare-consulting groups specialize in either strategic plan- ning or technical execution, Pixel Health companies do both, bringing together strategic advisory services and human- centered clinical, regulatory, financial, operational, and technical design and support. The company is structured so every client has access to the expertise of the entire organization at no additional expense.
“Our people are doctors and nurses who’ve spent decades on the front lines,” Pixel Health Chief Operating Officer
Greg Pellerin said, “so we understand the burdensome requirements of an electronic medical records system that forces clini- cians to stare at a computer screen instead
of into the eyes of their patients. We’re also educated healthcare consumers and can sympathize with the frustrations of someone simply trying to find the right doctor while navigating the healthcare maze online and in person.”
The company has adopted a new tagline: “Healthcare Technology. Human Perspective.”
Pixel Health companies VertitechIT, baytechIT, Nectar Strategic Consulting, akiro, and Liberty Fox Technologies work with health systems, hospitals, clinics, and medical practices across North America. VertitechIT is the leading certified HIMSS Analytics INFRAM consultant in the world.