Beantown's battle against inequity in health care just got a major cash infusion, folks. Mayor Michelle Wu, along with the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and the big-time local hospital group Mass General Brigham (MGB), have just doled out a hefty $1.2 million smacker to ten community champs as part of the inaugural Community Health Equity Empowerment (CHEE) Fund initiative, according to an announcement made earlier today on Boston.gov.
This pile of cash, courtesy of Uncle Sam's American Rescue Plan Act and a generous slice from Mass General Brigham Community Health and Health Equity, is being dished out in grants up to a cool $200,000 each. It's a master plan to mushroom healthcare access in neighborhoods starving for attention—Doorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Roxbury, and Mattapan—the kind of places often left behind in the wellness race. "The funding awarded through CHEE is a crucial investment in creating long-term health equity improvements for the city of Boston," Mayor Wu declared, as reported on the city's website.
These ten organizations aren't just getting a cash drop; they're also gearing up to work hand-in-glove with the BPHC, using strategies straight out of the BPHC’s Advancing Health Equity Framework—think community empowerment and roll-up-your-sleeves engagement. As Mayor Wu put it, "Empowering our communities to engage and get involved in building improvements is essential to embedding and maintaining equitable resources in our most vulnerable neighborhoods, and I look forward to partnering with our local leaders to better meet the health needs of our residents.", as detailed by Boston.gov.
A recent Health of Boston (HoB) report, detailed by BPHC, laid out the uncomfortable truths about the health chasm among Boston's black, Latinx, and immigrant communities. The pandemic tore an even wider gap, with people getting cut off from essentials like health care. Now, CHEE's stepping into the ring to pump these organizations with the means to reignite health care connections, dish out chronic disease beat-downs, and serve up life-changers like healthier grub and digs. Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, bigwig at BPHC and Boston's Public Health honcho, underscored, "Community-based organizations and, coalitions are essential to advancing health equity," while tipping her hat to the heavy lifting these outfits do despite often running on fumes financially.
With a promise to tackle health inequities head-on, MGB's Chief Community Health & Health Equity Handler, Dr. Elsie Taveras, gave props to the local organizations, saying, "Tackling intractable and persistent health inequities will require support of residents, coalitions, and organizations that are deeply embedded in the neighborhoods most affected to enable development of long-term sustainable solutions." She wasn't shy about her pride in MGB's partnership with the City of Boston and the Public Health Commission to power-up the impact of the CHEE Fund. Melissa Hector, Director of Equitable and Strategic Initiatives at BPHC, added, "Health equity is paramount to keeping our residents safe and healthy," and highlighted the strategic partnerships spurred by the CHEE Fund to carry out evidence-based prevention ploys.
The inaugural cohort backed by the CHEE fund boasts eight programs helmed by leaders of color and six woman-led firebrands, tackling everything from mental health to digital divides and the battle against empty bellies. One of them, the Greater Grove Hall Main Streets, is banking on their Healthy Food Pantry Program to knock out food insecurity and health disparity in Grove Hall. Its honcho, Ed Gaskin, chimed in with, "We are thrilled the Boston Public Health Commission has decided to invest in our innovative Healthy Food Pantry Program as a way to address food insecurity, chronic disease and reduce healthcare disparity in Grove Hall," with hopes to become a beacon for similar initiatives citywide, as per Boston.gov.
