6 Boston agencies awarded grants for health care services

Waltham, Mass. – April 27 – Six agencies and programs in Boston have received grants from the Massachusetts Medical Society & Alliance Charitable Foundation as part of the Foundation’s 2016 allocations for health care services. The grants will help to support health services for homeless, uninsured, and underinsured individuals and families; treatment for individuals with substance abuse; and programs addressing health education for teens.

The recipients, awards, and purposes of the grants, with links to available websites:

Boston Health Care for the Homeless received $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/

The Family Van Program, based in Roxbury, was awarded $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

Sociedad Latina in Roxbury was allotted $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/

The Gavin Foundation in South Boston received $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/

Rosie’s Place in Boston received $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

Boston University School of Medicine was awarded $5,000 for its Bridging Gaps in Care Program, an effort that supports medical students and their physician mentors in bringing 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 grants were six of 15 made by the Foundation to agencies across the Commonwealth to assist in providing 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.

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. For more information, visit www.mmsfoundation.org

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