The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) was one of 64 community-based healthcare providers to share in the latest round of grant money from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation.
EBNHC and the other recipients will share three million in grant funds from Blue Cross Blue Shield to promote sustainable improvements in health care access for low-income and uninsured residents.
“With this round of grant-making, we remain steadfast in our multi-year commitments to expanding access to behavioral health urgent care, investing in new models to address the social determinants of health, strengthening statewide advocacy for health access, and supporting local efforts to obtain coverage for Massachusetts residents,” said President of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation Audrey Shelto. “At the same time, we are pleased to have distributed funds to community-based organizations responding to the pandemic in communities that have been inequitably impacted.”
EBNHC received the $45,000 in grant money because their work is in line with Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation’s four key grant-making program areas. These program areas include: connecting consumers with care, which supports community-based organizations that assist eligible consumers with securing, maintaining, and navigating health insurance coverage; expanding access to Behavioral Health Urgent Care, which builds upon the state’s existing Emergency Services Program (ESP) system and expands the recipient organizations’ ability to provide community-based behavioral health urgent care; going beyond health care by addressing social determinants through a cross-sector approach, which supports the coordination of services by interdisciplinary teams to address clinical and non-clinical needs of low-income and vulnerable populations; as well as strengthening the voice for access, which supports statewide organizations working on expanding access to health care and promoting the health care interests of low-income residents.
“We (EBNHC) are thrilled to have the ongoing support of BCBS Foundation,” said EBNHC Vice President Lili Silva. “Their funding supports our efforts to ensure our patients have access to insurance coverage. Access to coverage makes health care accessible.”
Also, the Foundation’s Special Initiatives program continued to provide one-time grants to nonprofits and projects that predominantly serve people of color, including some with a special focus on responding to community needs caused by COVID-19.