For Immediate Release: 1/28/2014 10:44 am
Worcester, MA (January 28, 2014) - A community-based partnership led by the City of Worcester Division of Public Health is one of nine such partnerships in the Commonwealth to receive funds in an innovative health and wellness initiative, the Patrick Administration announced today. The Administration announced more than $40 million in grants that will be shared by nine partnerships to help fight chronic illness and improve health outcomes on the community level while reducing health care costs. Part of the Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund, this first-in-the-nation effort, is part of a $60 million grant over four years created by the Legislature and administered by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
"This is a significant opportunity for the City of Worcester," said Mayor Joseph Petty. "This partnership did an extraordinary job representing the needs of this community. In addition, WDPH played a key role in bringing the different organizations to the table, and in ensuring that the proposal that was ultimately submitted would meet the needs of the communities we serve."
The Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund supports community-based partnerships in achieving measurable health goals through research-based interventions. Working together, municipalities, healthcare systems, community organizations, businesses, regional planning organizations and schools design community-specific programs addressing issues such as: hypertension, smoking, falls prevention among older adults and pediatric asthma. As a condition of funding, each partnership must achieve specified health and cost saving benchmarks on at least two of these four health issues prioritized by the Trust.
"This is an exciting opportunity to strengthen the ongoing work of Worcester's Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP)," said City Manager Edward Augustus. "Our children need these vital resources, and by partnering with the Worcester Public Schools we shall support those families where asthma has impacted a child's ability to enjoy a healthy environment."
Funded partnerships will work to reduce rates of the most prevalent and preventable health conditions, advance healthy behaviors, increase the adoption of workplace wellness or health management programs and address health disparities.
The City of Worcester through its Division of Public Health has identified approximately 118,000 of the most disparate residents of the City. The grant focuses on developing and implementing intervention programs to help this population in three areas: hypertension, pediatric asthma and falls prevention. The new programs create an opportunity to develop an innovative link that engages community health workers in bridging gaps in care. The City is collaborating with a broad range of partners, including a health plan and legal services. These partners also have a strong history of integration, understanding and engagement with the community.
"This unique opportunity is an innovative approach to help thousands of Worcester residents access a more culturally competent approach to health and wellness," said City Councilor Sarai Rivera. "Promoting wellness and preventing disease are the pillars of good public health."
Each of the nine partnerships in the Commonwealth that have been awarded grants will receive up to $250,000 for the first phase of their work. As grantees demonstrate their readiness to implement interventions in community and clinical settings, they will receive additional funding between $900,000 and $1.5 million for each of the next three years. The amount each receives depends upon population covered and the number of conditions addressed.
The City of Worcester is the coordinating organization for the grant, working together with the following partners to achieve the goals outlined in the grant:
