Contact: Richard Gulla
781-434-7101
rgulla@mms.org
Waltham, Mass. – April 27 – The Massachusetts Medical Society & Alliance Charitable Foundation has awarded 15 grants totaling $215, 050 to 15 organizations across the state to support health and medical services for homeless, uninsured, and underinsured individuals and families, programs promoting healthy lifestyles, treatment for individuals with substance abuse , and programs addressing teen dating violence and infectious diseases.
Four agencies are receiving grants for the first time; 11 have previously been awarded grants from the Foundation. The recipients, awards, and purposes of the grants, with links to available websites:
Boston Health Care for the Homeless, $25,000, to expand the hours and services at the Southampton Street Shelter to address urgent and preventive health needs. The agency has received two previous grants from the Foundation, one in 2010 to support the Pine Street Inn Clinic, and one in 2015, to support the Family Team, a health care provider effort offering services to those living in shelters and motels. The agency cares for more than 12,000 men, women, and children every year. https://www.bhchp.org/
Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires, Great Barrington, $25,000, to support the clinic’s Non-Opioid Pain Management Program, which uses acupuncture, massage, behavioral health, and nutrition counseling to address chronic and episodic pain and prevent the use of opioids. VIM has received 10 previous grants from the Foundation, the first one occurring in 2004 to help establish the agency’s free clinic. http://www.vimberkshires.org/
Amherst Survival Center, Amherst, $22,000, to help fund the agency’s Clinic Coordinator, who operates the Free Health Clinic that provides care to any person on a walk-in basis at no cost. The agency was the beneficiary of two previous Foundation grants, in 2013 and 2015, both of which supported the health clinic. The Center services nearly 6,000 individuals in Franklin and Hampshire counties every year, helping them with the basic needs of food, clothing, health care, and companionship. https://amherstsurvival.org/
The Family Van Program, Roxbury, $20,000, to develop collaborations with Urban Edge and the El Salvador Consulate that bring resources to the community addressing medical and social issues that prevent families from taking care of themselves. A project of Harvard Medical School, the Family Van Program is a mobile health clinic that operates in five neighborhoods in Greater Boston offering health screenings, health education, and referrals and assistance. The project has previously received two grants from the Foundation, in 2013 and 2014, both to assist with the Van’s Youth Initiative targeting at-risk youth. www.familyvan.org
Health Care Without Walls, Wellesley, $20,000, to support the first year of the agency’s Bridges to Moms pilot program, seeking to improve health outcomes and maternal bonding among homeless pregnant and post-partum women receiving care at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Formerly known as Women of Means, the agency has received four previous grants from the Foundation since 2004. The last, in 2015, helped to support the Medical Home Without Walls Elder Care program. http://www.healthcarewithoutwalls.org/
Sociedad Latina, Roxbury, $12,500, to support the Health Educators in Action program and expand Take Care of Yourself sexually transmitted infection education and prevention activities for low-income Latino youth 12-24. The agency, which serves more than 4,000 youth and adults annually, had previously received a Foundation grant in 2012 to expand mental health services. http://www.sociedadlatina.org/
Latino Health Insurance Program, Framingham, $12,500, to support the Lung and Health Improvement Project, which includes blood pressure screening, cardiac risk assessment, smoking cessation, and health education for uninsured and underinsured low-income Latinos in the MetroWest area. This is the agency’s first grant from the Foundation. www.lhiprogram.org/
The Gavin Foundation, South Boston, $12,000, to support the Enrollment Assistance Support and Information Project at the South Boston District Court, a program that helps clients and family members through the barriers of starting treatment for substance abuse. The grant, which is the first for the agency from the Foundation, will also help to expand the program to the Dorchester Municipal Court. The Gavin Foundation is a multi-service nonprofit agency providing comprehensive, community-based substance abuse treatment, education, and prevention to more than 5,000 people annually. http://www.gavinfoundation.org/
Respond, Inc., Somerville, $11,505, to support the agency’s Teen Dating Violence program for students in middle and high schools. Respond is New England's first domestic violence prevention agency and the second in the nation and has provided shelter, a crisis hotline, support services, training and education free to more than 100,000 members of the community for more than 40 years. This is the first grant to the agency from the Foundation. www.respondinc.org
MetroWest Free Medical Program, Sudbury, $10,000, to assist with a pilot medical-legal partnership that will screen for and address the social and economic needs of patients. The agency, which assists the uninsured and underinsured, has previously been awarded seven grants from the Foundation, to support a variety of services, including diabetes care, outreach to the Latino population, and the support of volunteer physicians. www.metrowestfreemedicalprogram.org/
Father Bill’s and MainSpring, Brockton, $10,000, to support a Triage Outreach Worker in the MainSpring Outreach Project, which helps Brockton homeless men and women address complex health issues, including mental health and substance abuse. The agency has received five previous grants from the Foundation since 2009 to support its clinic. With locations in Quincy and Brockton, the agency serves 40 communities in Southeastern Massachusetts and works to end homelessness by focusing on the areas of housing, prevention, emergency shelter, and workforce development. http://helpfbms.org/
Rosie’s Place, Boston, $10,000, to support the agency’s Community Health Outreach Worker Program providing medical and health support for women unable to access medical care. In 2015, the agency received its first Foundation grant, also to support the Outreach Worker Program. Founded in 1974 as the first women’s shelter in the United States, Rosie’s Place today provides meals, shelter, and support services for 12,000 women a year. www.rosiesplace.org
The Sharewood Project, Malden, $10,000, to support the Malden health clinic run by medical students. The Sharewood Project is a free health education program led by volunteer medical students and physicians affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine and Cambridge Health Alliance, with help from other health professionals such as students and translators from Tufts University. The project has previously received eight grants from the Foundation, its first in 2006. http://medicine.tufts.edu/Global-and-Local-Engagement/Sharewood
Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro West, Marlborough, $7,500, to support the organization’s Triple Play Program at the Framingham clubhouse. The program demonstrates how eating right, staying fit, and forming positive relationships lead to a healthy lifestyle. The agency has received two previous grants for this program, in 2011 for the Marlboro clubhouse and 2012 for the Hudson clubhouse. www.bgcmetrowest.org
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, $5,000, for its Bridging Gaps in Care Program, supporting medical students and their physician mentors in bring health screenings and health education to underserved elderly residents in subsidized housing in Boston. This is the first grant from the Foundation to this program. http://www.bumc.bu.edu/busm/
The 15 awards to organizations bring the total amount of grants made by the Foundation to more than $3.5 million since the Foundation was established in 2000. More information on the MMS and Alliance Charitable Foundation may be found at www.mmsfoundation.org.
The Foundation is a supporting organization of the Massachusetts Medical Society, the statewide association of physicians, and the MMS Alliance, the organization of physicians' spouses, physicians, medical students, partners, and friends committed to advancing the health and well-being of the family of medicine. The Foundation’s mission is to support the charitable and educational activities of the Society and Alliance and address issues affecting the health, benefit, and welfare of the community.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, with some 25,000 physicians and student members, is dedicated to educating and advocating for the patients and physicians of Massachusetts. The Society, under the auspices of NEJM Group, publishes the New England Journal of Medicine, a leading global medical journal and web site, and Journal Watch alerts and newsletters covering 13 specialties. The Society is also a leader in continuing medical education providing accredited and certified activities across the globe for physicians and other health care professionals. Founded in 1781, MMS is the oldest continuously operating medical society in the country. For more information please visit www.massmed.org, www.nejm.org, or www.jwatch.org.
