Massachusetts to invest $3 million in grants through new Social Determinants Partnership program

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced on January 8 that nearly $3 million in grants will be provided to 13 community health organizations across the state for programs that address the social determinants of health.

AG Healey said in the press release that rather than focusing on treating people after they are ill, these grants will invest in programs that encourage health by addressing nutrition, housing, and other social conditions that prevent people from maintaining their health or accessing care.

The grants are issued through Healey’s new Social Determinants Partnership program, which targets partnerships between healthcare providers, social service organizations, and municipal government agencies working to address a variety of social determinants, including food scarcity, drug and alcohol addiction, housing insecurity, trauma and behavioral health in youth, and legal advocacy.

For example, the Greater Boston Food Bank, in partnership with Cambridge Health Alliance, Good Measures LLC, Tufts Health Plan, and Institute for Community Health, will use the grant to run a free monthly mobile food market in Revere, as well as to organize regular health fairs to provide health screenings, vaccinations, and assistance with enrolling in social services.  

Another grant recipient is LUK Crisis Center Inc. in Worcester County, in partnership with UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital. This partnership will use the grant to provide support to families who are coping with addiction through family-centered approaches to prevention, intervention, treatment, and recovery from substance use disorder.

The only statewide program receiving grant money is the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance in partnership with the Community Healthlink Inc., Duffy Health Center, and Mercy Healthcare for the Homeless Program, to address chronic homelessness across Massachusetts. The program supports community health workers as they work with homeless individuals who frequent healthcare facilities to obtain more stable housing.

The grants for the Social Determinants Partnership are funded by recent settlements reached by the AG’s Health Care Division.