Health New England, in partnership with its Community Benefits Advisory Council, recently announced recipients of its inaugural Where Health Matters Grant Program. On January 11, four area non-profit organizations were awarded a $50,000 grant to implement programs that will improve the health and well-being of vulnerable population groups living in central and western Massachusetts.

Each eligible grant recipient supports one of four focus areas of the Where Health Matters Grant Program: chronic diseases, food insecurities, infant and maternal health, and mental health and substance use disorder.

The four grant recipients for our inaugural Where Health Matters Grant Program are as follows:

• Behavioral Health Network for their Empowerment Program to support the unique behavioral health needs of LGBTQ youth living in Springfield;
• Just Roots, Inc., for their Mainstreaming Food Access Program for low-income households and persons living in poverty in Franklin County;
• March of Dimes for their Supportive Pregnancy Care Program to for low-income Hispanic women with gestational diabetes living in the greater Worcester area; and,
• Revitalize Community Development Corporation for their Accessible Safe and Healthy Homes program to support seniors living with asthma in unhealthy Springfield-area homes.

“This important grant announcement is transformative for Health New England, significantly enhancing our Community Benefits Program. Our Where Health Matters Grant Program gives us the ability to positively influence health outcomes in four priority areas of health and social determinants of health,” said Jody Gross, Interim President and CEO of Health New England. “We are pleased to empower these four awarded non-profit organizations to make significant improvements in the health and well-being of specific vulnerable population groups living in the central and western Massachusetts communities we serve.”