Page 39 - HealthcareNews May/June 2021

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Steve Lewis Subaru Donates $30,500 to Whole Children
HADLEY — Steve Lewis Subaru do- nated $30,500 to Whole Children in May from the 2020 Subaru of America Share the Love Event, which ran from Nov. 19, 2020 to Jan. 4, 2021. The annual event allows Subaru retailers the opportunity
to select charities operating in their com- munity to be included in a list of organiza- tions that new owners can select from to receive a $250 donation from Subaru of America Inc.
“We are proud to support Whole Children as our hometown organization that received the Subaru Share the Love Event donation this year,” said Steve Lewis, owner and president of Steve
Lewis Subaru, who presented the check to Whole Children. “While Whole Children is our neighbor in Hadley, they provide vital services to children and teens with disabilities throughout the Valley, as well as resources and support to their families.”
Whole Children, a program of Path-
From left: Maggie Rice, director of Whole Children; Joe Clark and Steve Lewis of Steve Lewis Subaru; Cade Holden and Joe Altavilla of Subaru of New England.
sports, and theatre.
During the Share the Love Event, infor-
mation about Whole Children was avail- able in the Steve Lewis Subaru showroom, and portraits of Whole Children students from the Portraits of Pathlight project were on display.
Receiving the check was Whole Chil- dren Director Maggie Rice and her son, Cade Holden, who were one of the found- ing families of the program in 2004.
“We are deeply grateful to Steve Lewis Subaru for choosing Whole Children as their local organization for the Share the Love event this year,” said Rice. “Their generous donation helps us provide a wide range of inclusive programming for children and teens. Our classes help build social and recreational skills, as well as provide support and community for the students and their families. And, of course, they are a lot of fun.”
light, offers a wide range of afterschool, weekend, and vacation enrichment programs for children of all ages and abili-
ties, particularly those with special needs. Classes include gymnastics, art, martial arts, dance, music, social skills, yoga,
Grants to Fund Recovery-Based Re-entry Services for Black, Latino Men
BOSTON — The Executive Office of Health and Hu- man Services and the Department of Public Health (DPH) announced $2.3 million in grants awarded to provide recovery-based services for black and Latino men who are at risk of fatal overdoses upon release from incarceration.
The pilot program will serve black and Latino men with a history of substance misuse who are incarcerated in Suffolk, Essex, Worcester, and Hampden counties. Local nonprofit, community-based organizations will provide culturally responsive wraparound services and case management pre- and post-release, including individual recovery support from any substance of use.
The award recipients are Casa Esperanza Inc. and Fa- thers’ Uplift in Suffolk County, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Essex County (in collaboration with the Lynn Community Health Center), Legendary Legacies in Worcester County, and New North Citizens’ Council in Hampden County. The organizations are located in areas that have higher rates of fatal opioid overdoses among
black and Latino men and, as part of the award, will pro- vide devoted physical space for programming.
“Studies have shown that incarcerated individuals
who participate in re-entry programs are less likely to relapse after treatment for substance use,” said Marylou Sudders, secretary of Health and Human Services. “This award is part of our ongoing effort to dismantle barriers to substance-use treatment services, especially in communi- ties of color.”
The organizations will work in partnership with county sheriff’s departments and provide programming services to eligible men during re-entry planning approximately six months before release.
“This grant award underscores our steadfast com- mitment to health equity, particularly among black and Latino men in these communities who have higher rates of fatal overdoses,” said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Monica Bharel. “These targeted programs are culturally responsive and community-driven to meet the needs of
these individuals who have some of the highest rates of incarceration and are at greater risk for poor health based on social conditions.”
The grant award will continue until August 2026, with $460,000 distributed to each program annually. The pro- gram is funded through a combination of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment block grant and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Overdose to Action grant.
“This program will be an integral component to Mas- sachusetts’ pursuit of racial equity and eliminating racial disparities in health outcomes and overdose prevention,” said Deirdre Calvert, director of DPH’s Bureau of Sub- stance Addiction Services. “Providing dedicated services for black and Latino men will help to support their recov- ery and reintegration, which will be invaluable in breaking the cycle of substance use and reincarceration.”
Healthtrax Physical Therapy Opens in West Springfield
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Healthtrax Physical Therapy recently opened its third clinic combining restorative clinical treatments inside Healthtrax Fitness, 155 Ashley Ave., West Springfield.
Treatments are provided by physi-
cal therapist Brian Ferreira. Working as
a physical therapist since 2006, he is a certified in manual therapy and earned his master’s degree in physical therapy at the University of Hartford. He is experienced in advanced manual-therapy skills and outpatient orthopedics.
“My treatments are based in science and individualized to each patient to alleviate symptoms and address their un- derlying cause,” Ferreira said. “My goal is for patients to not only get better, but stay better. Having our clinic housed inside of Healthtrax Fitness & Wellness allows for a seamless transition in the continuum of care working with certified personal train- ers to further improve strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular endurance.”
Services not only target the current issues (pain, weakness, etc.), but address
underlying movement impairments, and treating these biomechanical dysfunc- tions results in better, more sustainable outcomes for each patient based on medical history, co-morbidities, and goals of therapy, Ferreira noted. The scope of diagnoses the center can treat includes low back and neck pain, rotator-cuff tendinitis, tennis elbow and golfer’s elbow, knee and hip pain, plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, spinal stenosis, hand and thumb pain, osteoarthritis, degenerative disc and joint disease of the spine, nerve pain and
sciatica, poor balance and unsteady gait, and general deconditioning due to disease or illness.
Open to the public and Healthtrax Fitness members, Healthtrax Physi-
cal Therapy treats patients of all ages
and abilities, including adult and youth athletes, pre- and post-operative patients, workers’ comp injury patients, motor- vehicle accident patients, children with orthopedic conditions, and those needing work conditioning or hardening.