50 community organizations receive funding from Tufts Health Plan Foundation

CANTON, MA – December 8, 2021 – Tufts Health Plan Foundation today announced 50 community organizations across the region will receive a total of $500,000 in Momentum Fund grants to advance health equity and support community resilience. The organizations serve people disproportionately affected by the pandemic after years of system inequities, especially older people.

“We are proud to support these nonprofit organizations who provide critical community resources to help address social determinants of health” said Cain Hayes, president and CEO of Point32Health, the parent company of Tufts Health Plan. “These organizations are uniquely positioned to bring forward community solutions as we rebuild and recover from this pandemic, and work together to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for people throughout New England.”

The 2021 Momentum Fund grants support organizations that improve nutrition security; make access to transportation more equitable; address social isolation and mental health; deliver reliable and clear COVID-19 information; support caregivers; and advance workforce solutions. The grants were informed by more than 100 conversations with community members.

“Nonprofit organizations are delivering for communities and giving us hope that we can conquer systemic inequities. We must harness the community power and resilience demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic to show us a new way forward,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation and Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Point32Health. “We collaborated with our Harvard Pilgrim Health Care colleagues to expand our Momentum Fund grants and include investments in ten Maine organizations.”

A total of 10 organizations in each state — Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire — will receive unrestricted grants due to the challenges many have experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. Resources can be used to address the most urgent community needs.

Connecticut

• Casa Otoñal Inc., New Haven: supports housing, social, educational and cultural services for older adults, with a focus on strengthening Latinx community
• Catholic Charities, Hartford: serves older adults in Hartford, Litchfield, and New Haven Counties
• Community Dining Room, Branford: supports food assistance programs for older adults and people who are unemployed in the Greater New Haven region
• Connecticut Association of Area Agencies on Aging, Hartford: advocates for and engages older adults in Connecticut
• LiveWell Alliance, Inc., Plantsville: cares for individuals at all stages of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias
• Hall Neighborhood House, Bridgeport: provides comprehensive services that educate, enrich, and empower residents and older adults on the East Side of Bridgeport and the surrounding community
• Hispanic Coalition, Waterbury: provides transportation, social recreation and healthy food at its Adult Day Center, serving older adults within the Latina/o/x community in Waterbury
• New Britain ROOTS: creates equitable access to quality, healthy food in New Britain through intergenerational agricultural programs
• Partnership for Strong Communities, Hartford: fosters vibrant communities, eliminate homelessness and create homes for older adults throughout Connecticut
• San Juan Center, Hartford: provides food, clothing and build community for older adult residents of ‘Casa Edad de Oro’ housing complex; support garden and courtyard transformation efforts to combat isolation

Maine

• Casa, Westbrook: supports adults with disabilities in the Greater Portland area to have safe, healthy, and secure homes that promote growth and independence
• Good Shepherd Food Bank of Maine, Auburn: provides access to nutritious food throughout the state of Maine
• Healthy Acadia, Ellsworth: supports food and health services for older adults and people in Hancock and Washington counties, and across Maine
• In Her Presence, Portland: builds community and companionship by bringing together immigrant women from across communities and generations
• Maine Access Immigrant Network (MAIN), Portland: provides health and social services that are culturally and linguistically appropriate for older adult refugees and immigrant communities in Greater Portland
• Maine Council on Aging, Brunswick: advocates for policies and initiatives that advance healthy aging, promote inclusion and embrace the contributions of older people
• SeniorsPlus, Lewiston: helps adults make informed choices about aging well and living independently through nutrition, education, counseling, and homecare coordination services
• Spectrum Generations, Augusta: provides a range of home care and direct services designed to support and maintain the independent living of older adults in Central Maine
• Tri-County Mental Health Services, Lewiston: supports trauma-informed, integrated services for older adults and individuals in Androscoggin County
• Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness, Bangor: provides community-driven, culturally centered public health and social services to all Wabanaki communities

Massachusetts

• Berkshire Immigrant Center, Pittsfield: provides comprehensive, affordable legal services, local resources, and education for immigrant older people in Berkshire county
• Coastline Elderly Services Inc., New Bedford: develops, provides, and coordinates a range of home care services designed to support and maintain independence for older adults living in community
• FriendshipWorks, Boston: reduces social isolation in Boston by matching volunteers with older adults in need of assistance or companionship
• Lowell Community Health Center: provides caring, quality, and culturally competent health services to the people of Greater Lowell, regardless of financial status; to reduce health disparities and enhance the health of the Greater Lowell community
• Massachusetts Alliance of Portuguese Speakers (MAPS), Cambridge: works with and for Brazilian, Cabo Verdean, Portuguese and other Portuguese-speaking older adults to increase access and remove barriers to health, education and social services across Eastern Mass.
• Mattapan Food and Fitness Coalition: brings together residents and older adults to improve the food and physical activity environments in Mattapan
• Quincy Asian Resources, Inc.: improves the social, cultural, economic and civic lives of immigrants and older people in order to benefit Quincy and its neighboring communities
• Revitalize Community Development Corporation, Springfield: provides supportive service and perform critical repairs, modifications and rehabilitation on the homes of older adults, veterans and people with disabilities in Springfield, allowing people to age in community
• Spanish American Center, Leominster: provides services to older adults in Leominster, including information, legal, health, referral and advocacy services
• The Southeast Asian Coalition, Worcester: supports Southeast Asian Immigrants, the Refugee Food Pantry and provides direct social support services for older adults in Central Massachusetts

New Hampshire

• Gibson Center for Senior Services, North Conway: supports enrichment and nutrition programs and the launch of the Gibson Commons Internet Café for older adults
• Interlakes Community Caregivers, Moultonborough: engages volunteers to provide rides to medical appointments, friendly visits and other services that help older adults to live independently
• Meals on Wheels of Hillsborough County, Merrimack: delivers healthy meals to older, homebound older adults and people with disabilities in Hillsborough County
• Monadnock Family Services, Keene: provides treatments, services and supports for older adults facing mental health challenges in Cheshire County and surrounding areas
• Organization for Refugee and Immigrant Success, Manchester: supports older adult refugees and immigrants by providing assistance, training, resources, and opportunities that promote self-sufficiency and increase access to healthy, fresh local food
• Overcomers Support Services, Concord: provides case management, nutrition and mental health services for older adult refugees and immigrant communities in Concord
• North Country Health Care Consortium, Berlin: supports a rural health network that addresses common issues through collaboration among health and human service providers serving older adults in Northern New Hampshire
• Spark the Dream, Manchester: supports Manchester’s African immigrant community with culturally appropriate information and access to basic needs
• The Caregivers, Inc. (program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire), Manchester: provides food and transportation assistance to older adults and people with disabilities in the greater Manchester and greater Nashua regions
• Willing Hands, Norwich, VT: engages volunteers to harvest and deliver fresh food to older adult-serving organizations in the Upper Valley of New Hampshire

Rhode Island

• Aldersbridge Communities, East Providence: provides independent and assisted living apartments, skilled nursing and rehabilitation and long-term care and social programming for older adults
• Center for Southeast Asians, Providence: supports case management for health and social services including access to housing, utilities, and food in Providence
• Clinica Esperanza / Hope Clinic, Providence: offers primary medical care to uninsured older adults, with an emphasis on culturally accustomed and linguistically appropriate care in Providence
• Conexión Latina Newport: convenes and connects the Hispanic/Latina/o/x community and older people in Newport to healthy food, rental assistance and other needs
• Grands Flourish, Providence: provides support services and resources to grandparents raising grandchildren impacted by substance use disorder and other traumas throughout Rhode Island
• Higher Ground International, Providence: provides food, basic supports, and economic and educational opportunities to the West African immigrant and refugee population in South Providence
• Refugee Dream Center, Providence: provides case management, immigration and health services for older adult refugees and immigrant communities in Rhode Island
• RI Minority Elder Task Force, Inc., Newport: provides food, fuel and rental assistance to diverse older adults across Rhode Island, including those from the Narragansett Indian Tribe, and the Cape Verdean, African American and Liberian communities
• We Share Hope, Rumford: provides healthy food throughout Rhode Island and operate the ‘Hope Market’, a budget-friendly marketplace for older adults
• Westbay Community Action Program, Providence: supports food access programs and older adult protective services

About Tufts Health Plan Foundation
Established in 2008, Tufts Health Plan Foundation supports the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve. The Foundation has given more than $50 million to nonprofits in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Our focus is healthy living with an emphasis on older people and moving communities toward age-friendly policies and practices that are relevant, focus on older people, and include them in community solutions. In 2021, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan combined under a common parent organization, Point32Health. Moving forward, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan Foundations are working as one foundation to support, advocate and advance healthier lives for everyone in communities where we do business.