In an effort to tackle health disparities across Massachusetts, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is rolling up its sleeves, forming a new alliance with Point32Health Foundation and Health Care For All (HCFA), a collaboration borne of the Advancing Health Equity in Massachusetts (AHEM) initiative. This venture sets its sights on enhancing maternal and cardiometabolic health in the communities of Brockton, Lawrence, and Lowell, as reported by the Massachusetts government. Health Care For All is tasked with putting a $920,000 grant from Point32Health Foundation to work, the end game being improved health outcomes over the next five years.
The Governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, articulated the state’s goal of ensuring all residents can tap into and afford quality medical care, a vision she believes this program champions by reaching directly into communities, in a statement obtained by Massachusetts government website. Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, applauded AHEM for its acute focus on individual community needs, noting that the backing of Point32Health and HCFA will bolster life quality in the targeted cities. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh, echoed this sentiment, anticipating proactive identification and dismantling of health care barriers through collaborative efforts.
Health Care For All will also partner with key local government agencies to collect and share data on maternal health and the impact of social determinants on cardiometabolic disease to better understand local health outcomes. Cardiometabolic disease, which refers to disease of the heart and blood vessels, diabetes, high blood pressure, and chronic kidney disease, is a leading cause of death across Massachusetts. Health Care For All will work with the community to develop possible interventions that address both immediate concerns and long-term systemic issues. Each community will determine how to address challenges, and vet possible interventions like increasing access to healthy food or improving implementation of maternal health care policies at the local level.
Kristin Lewis, executive vice president of Point32Health, spoke to the investment in breaking down the access barriers to health care, and Amy Rosenthal, executive director of Health Care For All, commended the administration’s and Point32Health Foundation’s support and shared the organization’s commitment to making health care accessible for all, “Through intentional community engagement, we will identify gaps and develop tangible solutions to address social determinants of health and improve equitable access to care for residents of Brockton, Lawrence and Lowell,” Rosenthal told the Massachusetts government website. Local leaders have embraced this initiative with open arms; Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan spoke to the collaborative nature of policy-making, and Lawrence Mayor Brian A. DePeña, acknowledged the push towards health equity and social justice, Lowell City Manager Thomas A. Golden, Jr. expressed gratitude for an investment that would fortify health care access and health outcomes for Lowell residents.
This formative partnership between the Healey-Driscoll Administration, Point32Health Foundation, and Health Care For All is one of many such collaborations AHEM is looking to forge with private sector partners to combat health inequities within the state—for further insight into the AHEM initiative, Massachusetts residents and those following these equitable health care developments can find more information on their website.
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