At the Health Equity Trends Summit today, Governor Maura Healey unveiled a promising initiative for Ayer, aiming to tackle existing health disparities. As reported by the official Massachusetts Government news outlet, the new partnership involves The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts and the Health Equity Partnership of North Central Mass, part of the governor's broader Advancing Health Equity in Massachusetts (AHEM) program.
This fresh endeavor in Ayer and Nashoba Valley focuses on crucial areas such as maternal health and cardiometabolic conditions while addressing the social determinants impacting these outcomes. The Healey-Driscoll Administration's approach to health equity has already launched in various locations across the state and is now extending their outreach.
The Health Equity Partnership was granted $250,000 over three years by The Health Foundation to forge a coalition to confront the root causes of regional health inequities. At the helm of AHEM's technical assistance offerings are data analysis, community engagement, and communications along with strategy development aimed firmly at improving residents' health in the area, particularly related to cardiometabolic and perinatal health issues.
"I am grateful to the Health Foundation and the Health Equity Partnership for working with us to eliminate health disparities that we’re seeing in central Massachusetts," Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh told the Massachusetts Government news outlet. The Health Foundation's president and CEO, Amie Shei, echoed the sentiment, underscoring the investment's aim to bolster regional equity and improve overall health in Central Massachusetts.
The coalition, as detailed by Ayer Town Manager Robert Pontbriand, steps in following the shuttering of the Nashoba Valley Medical Center last year, serving as a much-needed measure to address substantial health care access challenges in the Nashoba Valley region. The Health Foundation and the Health Equity Partnership of North Central Mass's partnership is not an isolated event; it joins an array of partnerships that AHEM has fostered in various Massachusetts communities, focusing on the prevention and elimination of health inequities.
For additional details about the AHEM initiative and the full array of partnerships, interested individuals can visit the official website at mass.gov.
