Grant Recipients

2022/2023 COMMUNITY HEALTH INITIATIVES GRANTS

The GLHA is proud to announce the grant awards for the fall of 2021 to support programs and services to improve the overall health of the Greater Lowell community. Grants were awarded around the following health priorities and programs that meet the specific areas of focus identified by the GLHA’s Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) process:

• Alcohol & Substance Use Disorder
• Behavioral Health
• Health Equity
• Housing & The Built Environment
• Infectious Disease
• Maternal & Infant Health
• Safety & Violence
• Wellness & Chronic Disease

To qualify, all proposals needed to incorporate a plan to meet the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) in health and health care to all individuals in order to reduce disparities and achieve health equity.

Casa Esperanza: Conexiones Transportation Project    – $59,309

Casa Esperanza is seeking to replace their current van, which has had mechanical issues. Moneys would assist with covering the cost for them to purchase a new van, increasing the transportation services for their patients seeking treatment.

Chelmsford Senior Center: Stay at Home- $50,000

This funding will assist in providing Hoarding Disorder training for the 19 core members of the Resource Network in home assessment evaluations, occupant housing disorder cognitive coaching, and harm reduction procedures. The core members will, in turn, train volunteers. Some funds will be used for conducting Buried in Treasures/Cognitive Behavior Therapy workshops by staff. Additional funds will be used to assist housing disorder residents in an organized home harm reduction schedule that may include cleaning, discarding, dumpster rental, and temporary housing until the home can be brought up to safety code. Remaining funds will be spent to work towards reducing stigma and educating family members and the public about hoarding disorder, and sensitivity training for first responders when entering a housing disorder home.

Community Teamwork Inc.: Youth Services Family Foundations Program – $20,000

Youth Services will increase capacity, awareness, education, and support around perinatal mental health and safe sex education as an extension of our established Youth Family Foundations program, and all young people who are pregnant or parenting connected to our other resources under the Youth Services umbrella of programming. Funds will allow for staff to have the opportunity to receive training to work with young families to improve their perinatal mental health. As a result, Youth Services will ensure that participants have the appropriate resources, education, community connections, and support needed as they become a parent. Staff will also implement workshops and groups to develop the young parent community. Lastly, Youth Services will use funds to provide young people with access to various forms of contraceptives and supplemental items such as diapers or car seats. This programming is projected to serve 60 Youth & Young Adults.  

Eliot Church : Day Center – $25,600

Funding will go towards staff support for case management and support groups focused on substance use, survivors of sexual assault, and individuals living with HIV and/or HepC. It will also assist with expanding training for staff to increase their knowledge and better equip them to support clients including training on trauma informed care, overdose prevention, mental health first aid, care for people living with HIV/AIDS, and grief related to overdose deaths. This will also support two street outreach workers who do direct outreach with homeless and low-income residents to connect them with housing, recovery, or health-related supportive services offered by the Day Center and partner agencies.

Ellie Fund: Equitable Pathways to Breast Cancer Care – $25,000

Funding will be directed towards providing culturally and linguistically responsive educational materials via our website and patient self-referral platform (launching10/2022), and towards new outreach and educational work in partnership with local community health centers and healthcare providers that has already begun to change the pandemic-induced decline in breast care access in Greater Lowell. Through this combination o increased awareness and education with the trusted, tangible services that breast cancer patients and their families need, Ellie Fund will increase rates of patients seeking support closer to their diagnosis; minimize delays between medical visits; and increase the likelihood that patients will successfully complete their treatment protocol.

International Institute of NE: Greater Lowell Refugee Mental Health and Wellness Initiative – $15,000

This project will target Afghan evacuees and Haitian entrants served by our Community Services team through resettlement and case management, whose experiences navigating and escaping violence and political turmoil in their countries of origin are associated with an increase risk of conditions Post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. This multi-pronged approach includes: cultural orientation sessions that reduce stigma regarding mental health needs and increase awareness of supports, services, and resources; behavioral health referrals and connection to services for clients with mental health needs; group activities focused on cooling, soccer, and other interest to help clients build support systems and reduce their isolation; and bi-weekly check-ins with individuals to understand and monitor their needs and interests to identify interventions.

Ironstone Farm: Home Base-Two Day Overnight Retreats – $15,000

Funding will allow additional overnight retreat components to the already existing and highly successful weekend day retreat program with Home Base. Home Base is a nationally recognized program with multidisciplinary group of experts working together to support Veterans and their families.

Lowell Community Health Center: Let’s Talk about Health Relationships Project – $50,000

Funding will support the Let’s Talk build on the momentum of the 2022 D4P Lowell youth/community event to expand access to information, education and awareness on reproductive health and sexual violence/assault for youth, adults and the general community through evidence-based curricula, outreach and trainings.

MAPS: Greater Lowell Portuguese-Language Short Term Mental Health Counseling- $23,371

MAPS will provide 5 hours/week of remote, short-term mental health counseling for community members experiencing COVID-related anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues during the funding year in Greater Lowell. This will allow MAPS to expand a pilot program started last year in which they contract with linguistically and culturally competent mental health Clinicians as consultants to provide limited, temporary therapy to clients who can’t access this crucial service due to cultural, linguistic, financial, insurance and other barriers.

Merrimack Valley Food Bank: Gryphon Market After-School Culinary Program at GLTHS – $15,000

This pilot program will be for students at the Greater Lowell Technical High School who are at risk of food security. The Merrimack Valley Food Bank will collaborate with Greater Lowell Technical High School staff to implement a new program that is focused on students at risk of food insecurity. Sixty students during the 2022-2023 school year will be invited to participate in a six-session activity during which they will learn meal planning, budgeting, and nutrition as they prepare and cook meals for themselves. They will also receive food supplies and supermarket gift cards to enable and encourage cooking ands healthy eating at home.

Mill City Grows: Food Policy Council: Community Led Improvements to Nutritious Food Access- $9,450

Mill City Grows will work to form the Lowell Food Policy Council. The Lowell Food Policy Council is a resident-led body that determines goals and priorities that will improve the local food system for residents with the most barriers to food access. This council will ensure diverse recruitment, oversee Mill City Grows workplans to educate about SNAP/HIP and expand use of community gardens by low-income, chronically ill residents, determine 1-2 priority areas, set goals, and report on their progress. Funding from the GLHA grant will help provide stipends and service that well make participation in the Lowell Food Policy Council accessible and equitable for all members.

THRIVE Communities: Reentry Housing Services- $25,000

THRIVE’s project is to improve access to safe, stable, and affordable housing for people returning to community from the experience of incarceration, with the goal of ensuring housing is available at the time of a person’s release from incarceration. This will be part of a Wraparound Reentry Service, offering social support with access to stable housing, equitable employment opportunities, and consistent and appropriate mental health and substance use disorder services as desired.

YWCA: Spanish Speaking Women’s Health Connections- $22,270

As a response to the isolation and health services disparity exacerbated by the ongoing COVID-10 pandemic, YWCA will continue providing services to its two Spanish-speaking Latina women’s groups (morning and afternoon groups). This will allow YWCA Lowell to continue to bring more Spanish-speaking Latina women into both groups and provide them with connections and resources related to their and their family’s health and wellbeing.