Newswise — Needham, Mass. – Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham (BID Needham), part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, has awarded more than $40,000 in grant funding to nine community-based, non-profit organizations focused on addressing food insecurity, youth education and social determinants of health.
“At BID Needham, we are committed to enhancing the health and well-being of the communities we serve, and that means working with our local towns and non-profits to identify the major health priorities and challenges facing our residents and finding innovative ways to support them,” said John Fogarty, President of BID Needham. “We are delighted to be collaborating with our community partners to bring impactful services, such as recreational programs and employment resources, to our neighbors.”
The BID Needham Community Benefits Advisory Committee (CBAC), which supports the hospital in its proposal review process, is comprised of members representing social services, behavioral health, community-based, municipal, public health and housing organizations in Dedham, Dover, Needham and Westwood. Residents from the hospital’s Community Benefits Service Area and BID Needham Board members are also part of the committee.
“During these challenging times it has been so encouraging to work with our extremely capable and caring nonprofit partners to help our most vulnerable populations,” said Leslie Medalie, Chair of the BID Needham CBAC and member of the hospital’s Board of Trustees. “The isolation of this past year has been detrimental to the physical and mental health of so many, from teens to adults to seniors. We are proud to be funding compelling programming that seeks to address the issues within our community on a grassroots level.”
Grant recipients include:
Charles River Center: The Charles River Center (CRC) is a non-profit human service agency that provides employment and job training, residential homes and recreational programs for children and adults with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and other developmental challenges. Funding from BID Needham will support the purchase and on-site installation of automated external defibrillator (AED) machines to provide increased safety, medical support and peace of mind for the adult residents who live in three CRC group homes, as well as for staff. The grant will also allow staff to be trained and certified to use the AED equipment.
Concord Prison Outreach: Concord Prison Outreach (CPO) works cooperatively with the Massachusetts Department of Correction to offer educational programs that focus on skill building and personal growth for incarcerated individuals. Grant funding will help men and women leaving prison and returning to their communities by providing backpacks with hygiene and safety supplies, socks, writing materials, women’s sanitary products, a reusable water bottle and materials that connect them with community-based housing and employment resources.
MassBay Community College: MassBay provides meal scholarships to students in the fall and spring semesters. Grant funding will provide approximately 30 additional meal scholarship awards to MassBay students enrolled this summer, providing them with funds on a weekly basis. Funding will help reduce the burden of hunger and the stress that goes with food insecurity.
Needham Farmer’s Market: Needham Farmer’s Market provides residents of Needham and surrounding towns with fresh, local and healthy food, including produce, meat, seafood, bread and other baked goods. Grant funding will allow the Farmer’s Market to continue providing shoppers and their families with fresh, healthy local food for their everyday diet – contributing to a healthy lifestyle.
Needham Housing Authority: The Needham Housing Authority’s Captain Robert Cook Drive After-School Program provides educational assistance to families with children in the Captain Robert Cook Development. These funds will give low-income youth access to after-school activities including tutoring, homework help and field trips that will enhance their awareness of educational, social, cultural and recreational opportunities available in and around the community.
Neighbor Brigade: Neighbor Brigade establishes community-specific networks of volunteers who can be mobilized to help residents facing sudden crisis in managing day-to-day tasks, such as meal preparation, rides and basic household chores. Funding will help provide grocery store gift cards for residents experiencing food insecurity and support transportation for residents to and from COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
Riverside Community Care: The Riverside School serves students with significant emotional difficulties and/or a psychiatric diagnosis and provides them with individualized life and educational skills to help them return to a more traditional school setting. Funding will help provide personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning supplies and program materials, including art supplies.
SPAN: The Substance Prevention Alliance of Needham (SPAN) is a coalition of volunteers in Needham dedicated to youth substance use prevention. SPAN’s peer leadership program, Students Advocating for Life Without Substance Abuse (SALSA), is for students who have made the healthy choice not to use alcohol or other drugs. Grant funding will help train up to 50 high school students annually. These students then work with 8th-grade students in the classroom, coaching them on presentation and advocacy skills, teaching them how to tell “their truth” and engaging younger students.
Walker: Walker is a non-profit organization that provides comprehensive programming in child welfare, children’s behavioral health and special education. Grant funding will support Walker’s summer enrichment program for children and youth ages 3 to 21 with complex emotional, behavioral and learning challenges. The program provides them with opportunities to improve their physical and social/emotional health; develop social skills and stress-reduction strategies; and increase their confidence, self-esteem and independence.
About Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham (BID Needham) is a licensed 58-bed acute care community hospital. BID Needham has served residents in Needham and surrounding communities for more than 100 years. The hospital has been recognized by several organizations for quality and safety, including five-out-of-five stars from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an “A” grade from the Leapfrog Group, the Gold Seal of Approval® from The Joint Commission and the 2019 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award.
BID Needham is part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,000 physicians and 35,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through ground-breaking research and education.
RSS