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Phillip González to lead MetroWest Health Foundation
It's official. The MetroWest Health Foundation Board of Trustees announced last week that Phillip González will be its new president and CEO, effective February 20, 2024.
"The Board of Trustees is thrilled that Phillip will be joining us to lead the foundation's agenda to improve the health of the communities we serve," said Anna Cross, who chairs the board. "In selecting Phillip, we have found a strong leader who shares the Board's commitment to community engagement and collaboration and to advancing health equity," said Bill Graham, immediate past chair of the Board of Trustees and chair of the CEO search committee.
Phillip's last day with Point32Health Foundation will be February 2. Contact information for Caitlin Sullivan, Christina Mathews and the rest of the team is on the website.
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Eight organizations recommended through work of Colleague Resource Groups | |
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To support the community engagement goals of the Point32Health Colleague Resource Groups (CRGs), the Foundation developed a philanthropic initiative that centers community and collaboration with the CRGs.
The Foundation team trained CRG leaders in philanthropy, who nominated nonprofit organizations aligned with their affinities for Foundation grants. The grants went to eight nonprofit organizations working to address inequities, support veterans and improve access to nutritious food across the region. Each received a $5,000 grant.
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Point32Health makes office space in Canton, Mass. available for nonprofits | |
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Are you a nonprofit in need of office and/or event space in Canton, Massachusetts? Do you know someone who is? We can help!
Point32Health is exploring ways to make space on its Canton campus available to nonprofit organizations working to advance health equity. The space would be available at no cost and can be used for events, off-sites, meetings, workspace, etc.
If your organization is interested in exploring this opportunity, please complete this brief survey by February 9 to help Point32Health better understand your needs. If you have questions, please contact Workbettertogether@Point32Health.org.
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2024 Volunteer Week applications open for nonprofits | |
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Point32Health's annual Volunteer Week is set for June 10 - 14, 2024. Point32Health's volunteerism supports nonprofits that provide critical services across the region. Last year, more than 1,400 of our colleagues served community at 70 projects across our five core states during Volunteer Week.
Applications now are available for nonprofits wishing to host a Volunteer Week activity. Projects can be (1) hosted in community at the nonprofit's preferred location, (2) held at one of Point32Health’s offices, or (3) offered virtually. Projects should accommodate a minimum of 10 volunteers to be considered. Proposed activities should advance health equity and address one or more social determinants of health.
Nonprofit organizations will receive a stipend ranging from $500 to $2,500 (depending upon size and scope) to host a project.
Applications due by Friday, Feb. 9. Please share this information and link to the application with your networks and any community organizations you support. If you have questions, contact the Corporate Citizenship team.
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La Colaborativa establishes community hub | |
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La Colaborativa’s new Chelsea Survival Center is a welcoming, culturally familiar hub for community life in this Gateway City know for its diverse population.
The 30,000-square-foot space, dedicated to "economic sustainability and mobility for the people of Chelsea and beyond," offers lifesaving resources including a large-scale food pantry, emergency housing stabilization programs, rapid re-employment, education initiatives, and a robust health equity program to support mental health, nutrition, and fitness needs.
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Halal meals come to Maine schools through nonprofit partnership | |
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Cumberland County Food Security Council and Food For All Services are partnering with three public school districts -- Portland, South Portland and Westbrook -- to pilot halal school meals.
This Halal School Meals Network (HSMN) intends to provide equitable access to school food for Muslim students who observe halal practices. The network expects to serve approximately 12,000 Pre-K-12 students with meals certified as halal by the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America.
This initiative envisions a future in which every student is nourished by meals consistent with their cultural and religious values. These southern Maine schools will be among the first in the nation to provide externally certified halal menu items to students.
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Pinnacle Partnerships supports families who've fallen between the cracks
In a recent interview with CBS / WBZ News, Kristi Glen, a parent of a child with mental health challenges and co-founder of Pinnacle Partnerships shared her personal connection to the Brockton-based organization's mission.
Glen is one of many coaches with "lived-experience" in a program called PERL (psychological enhanced response liaison).
"We aim to help families who fall in between the cracks. They may not be able to access services under Medicaid or other types of insurance. So, we try to make sure every type of family who has a child with a mental health need can access those services," Glen said.
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Strafford County (N.H.) commits to age-friendly initiatives
After more than three years of outreach events, forums, interviews, assessments, and planning, Strafford County has released a regional Age-Friendly Resource Guide. The tool outlines the assets available for county residents and is available online or in print so anyone can access it.
Farmington, Newmarket, Rochester, and Strafford also completed age-friendly action plans; the City of Rochester conducted a downtown walkability audit; and the town of Strafford developed a Community Engagement Toolkit.
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New report on impact of permanent supportive housing on public Medicaid spending in R.I. | |
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A new report from ONE Neighborhood Builders (ONE|NB) shows that the average Medicaid-related health care spending for persons who were formerly homeless and who are now living in permanent supportive housing was consistently lower than Medicaid recipients who continue to experience homelessness.
“This report validates our call for more affordable housing and shows that our state’s housing crisis is also a health care crisis. Rhode Island can reduce Medicaid costs by doing more to help individuals living in shelters find permanent supportive housing," said Jennifer Hawkins, who is president and CEO at ONE|NB. "We’ve known for years that individuals experiencing homelessness have some of the most complex and expensive medical needs. We’ve also known that housing is the foundation for better health outcomes.”
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Program provides digital equity tools for older people
Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly was featured in a recent WGBH piece that describes a program that promotes digital equity by offering equipment, internet hotspots and training.
“[The pandemic] really brought into high relief how profound the digital divide was and is,” said Cynthia Wilkerson, Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly program director. While the organization was able to move its programming online, “there wasn't support in place to help folks who were not already online.”
The Digital Dividends course now runs three times a year, giving older adults access to a full technology kit — including a Chromebook, internet hotspot, chargers, a mouse and a coursework book. A partnership with local college student volunteers fosters connection and provides tech support for older people. During the most recent fall session, which operated out of nine locations, Little Brothers distributed 83 laptops.
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Massachusetts Senior Action Council reflects on 2023 victories
Massachusetts Senior Action Council "empowers members to use their own voices to address key public policy and community issues that affect their health and well-being."
Last year was a landmark year for the organization, which shared this video celebrating key policy and program accomplishments--from expanding Medicare eligibility and winning an MBTA low-income fare pilot to increasing their membership to more than 1,000 members.
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New campaign aims to disrupt ageism and ableism | |
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Point32Health Foundation in the news
Want to read more about grantee initiatives and Foundation activities?
Visit our newsroom
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Community Workbook brings equity lens to Food Is Medicine programs
A new workbook grounded in community-led design provides clear and rigorous guidelines to ensure produce prescription programs can embed racial justice values into programming more deliberately.
Developed collaboratively by partners Benjamin Perkins, Wholesome Wave, DAISA Enterprises, and the Yale Griffin Prevention Research Center, The FED Principle® is an innovative model that centers the core values of Fidelity, Equity, and Dignity (FED) in the Food Is Medicine field.
Organizations can sign up to download the free toolkit and join upcoming webinars and discussions. Go to the new FED website for details.
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White House releases playbook for addressing social determinants of health
Eliminating health disparities starts with addressing the social determinants of health--the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
To "improve the health and well-being of all Americans," the White House released a new tool in November. The playbook "lays out an initial set of structural actions federal agencies are undertaking to break down silos and to support equitable health outcomes...[and]...sets the stage for agencies and organizations to re-imagine new policies and actions..."
Organizations are encouraged to use the playbook as "scaffolding" for developing programmatic interventions.
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Working with communities to support, advocate
and advance healthier lives for everyone.
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Canton, MA 02021
781-612-1000
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