By Jennifer Day, Director, MMS and Alliance Charitable Foundation
The Massachusetts Medical Society and Alliance Charitable Foundation recently awarded $42,500 in grants to four organizations addressing issues related to women’s health.
Somerville-based Asian Women for Health received $10,000 to support the launch of MobilizAsians for Health, an innovative pilot to assess the feasibility of using WeChat® as a tool to mobilize breast cancer survivors to provide peer support and information to fellow survivors, patients, and their loved ones. A 2006 Journal of Clinical Oncology study showed that women with breast cancer who had social support had a lower risk of dying. Research also indicates that people living with cancer benefit from help and advice from others who have lived through similar situations. However, many Chinese women living with breast cancer do not participate in conventional support groups in a clinical setting due to cultural, linguistic, and other barriers.
St. Anne’s Free Medical Program in Shrewsbury received $7,500 to support its Women’s Health Initiative. Since 1996, St. Anne’s Free Medical Program has provided care to the uninsured and the underinsured in central Massachusetts. Under the volunteer leadership of medical director Jane Lochrie, MD, an internist from St. Vincent’s Hospital, and volunteer medical care provided by June O’Connor, MD, the program will improve access to gynecological care, including preventative services, to uninsured and underinsured patients. “Many of our patients have never had a gynecological screening, and Dr. O’Connor does the procedures free of charge,” explains Dr. Lochrie. “But the pathology for patients who need follow-up testing is expensive and thanks to this grant, we are now able to continue caring for some of the most vulnerable members of our society without depleting our budget.”
Found in Translation, a Dorchester nonprofit, received $10,000 to support its Language Access Fellowship program, which provides economically disadvantaged women an opportunity to transition seamlessly from medical interpreter certificate training to job placement, and from poverty and homelessness to self-sufficiency and a successful career, building a culture of health in their communities. More than 220 women have been through the program over the past eight years and have established themselves in the interpreting field, empowering them to provide critical health care access to thousands of vulnerable patients with limited English proficiency.
Volunteers in Medicine (VIM) Berkshires received $15,000 to support the development of a focused women’s health program. Historically, VIM has provided basic women’s health as part of internal medicine, but over the past year, the volunteer services of a nurse-midwife have made it clear that to meet national standards for women’s health, a focused program was necessary, offering a full range of gynecological services, additional office-based tests, and more treatment. VIM provides free culturally competent care to those without insurance and addresses health literacy based on individual need. In addition to medical services, VIM also helps address health disparities by ensuring patients have access to housing, childcare, transportation, job training, and more. “This women’s health program is going to elevate the care we give our female patients, allowing us to continue our mission of health equity,” said VIM Berkshires Executive Director Ilana Steinhauer, FNP.
In addition to the $42,500 directed to women-focused programs, the MMS and Alliance Charitable Foundation granted an additional $238,778 to other health-related organizations.
The Foundation is committed to filling major gaps in care and services for underserved, vulnerable patients in the Commonwealth, ensuring that people get the health care they need and deserve. To support the mission or for more information on these grants or others, visit mmsfoundation.org.
