Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham awards $147,000 in grants to support community health priorities

Funds will support organizations in Dedham, Needham, Norwood and Westwood

Needham, Mass. – As part of its longstanding commitment to the community, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Needham (BID Needham) has awarded $147,000 in grant funding to community-based organizations that offer services in Dedham, Needham, Norwood and Westwood.

The grants are part of BID Needham’s Community Benefits Program and are intended to support programs that address community health priorities and meaningfully impact populations and community members within the BID Needham service area that face the greatest health inequities. Criteria included four focus areas that were identified during the hospital’s most recent Community Health Needs Assessment, completed in September 2022: Mental Health and Substance Use, Chronic and Complex Conditions, Equitable Access to Care, and Social Determinants of Health.

“BID Needham is proud to support the important work these organizations are doing,” said John Fogarty, President of BID Needham. “As a hospital, we care first and foremost about the health and safety of our community. We could not do that without the partnership of nonprofits in the community which work to help reduce health disparities and inequities.”

The grants address three social determinants of health: food insecurity, workforce development/education, and “built environment” which is made up of human-made surroundings that impact community health.

The following ten organizations received their second payment of a three-year grant in the amount of $6,000 each, valued at $18,000 over three years:

Charles River YMCA: The Charles River YMCA is a valuable community resource, offering youth development programs, day camping, services for seniors and a variety of health and wellness programs for individuals of all ages and abilities. Grant funding will support the YMCA’s LiveStrong Program, a free, 12-week, evidence-based physical activity and well-being program designed to help adult cancer survivors achieve their holistic health goals.

Dedham Council on Aging: The Dedham Council on Aging provides social services, educational and recreational programs to the over-55 population of the Town of Dedham. The grant provides funding for a social worker to run late day and evening support groups for seniors who are bereaved, struggling with caregiving responsibilities, and those with mental health challenges.

Dedham Food Pantry: The Dedham Food Pantry is a community-based food pantry that provides food for Dedham residents who are experiencing food insecurity. The grant will support food purchases to accommodate the increased need for food due to inflation and the associated financial struggles.

Family Promise Metrowest: Family Promise Metrowest is a community response to family homelessness with individual programs addressing the comprehensive needs of homeless families. Grant funding will support their LIFE program (Local Initiative for Family Empowerment), a homelessness prevention and diversion program that supports families who are at risk of eviction or have lost their housing but, with targeted support, can move back into an apartment immediately and avoid shelter entry.

The Needham Community Council: (NCC) is a private non-profit organization supporting people in Needham who have under-met health, educational or social needs and promotes volunteerism, community, and a sense of shared responsibility. Funding will benefit the NCC “Ride of Last Resort” Transportation Program, which offers rides to medical appointments and other health-related services for Needham residents.

Needham Community Farm: The Needham Community Farm works to combat food insecurity in the local community to ensure that all have access to healthy and culturally-relevant food regardless of economic circumstances. The grant will provide funding to support the farm’s fresh produce distribution to low-income families and individuals in Needham, through the free Mobile Market and through donations to the food pantry.

Neighbor Brigade: Neighbor Brigade establishes community-specific networks of volunteers that can be mobilized to help residents facing sudden crises manage day-to-day tasks such as meal preparation, rides, and basic household chores. Funding from this grant will support requests for rides/transportation and food insecurity among their communities and clients.

Riverside Community Care: Riverside Community Care offers a broad range of behavioral healthcare and human services, including mental healthcare, developmental and brain injury services, youth and early childhood programs and addiction treatment. Funding will be used to provide advanced psychological and behavioral trainings to their Home-Based service clinicians and staff. Trainings will include behavioral interviewing, solution-focused therapy, self-injurious behavior, psychosis, adoption, transgender youth, substance use and eating disorders.

Students Advocating for Life without Substance Abuse (SALSA): SALSA is a peer leadership program for students at Needham High School, who have made the healthy choice not to use alcohol or other drugs. The grant will be used to fund prevention efforts, specifically those focused on changing social norms about youth substance use and will support their peer-to-peer curriculum in the Needham Middle Schools.

Westwood Youth & Family Services: Westwood Youth & Family Services supports the healthy social and emotional development of residents by providing a variety of educational, social, counseling and supportive services for children ages 4 to 18 and their parents or guardians. Grant funding will assist in funding the Town of Westwood’s subscription to the William James INTERFACE Referral Service, a mental health and wellness referral helpline.

In addition, the Westwood Council on Aging received their second payment of a three-year grant in the amount of $5,000, valued at $15,000 over three years:

Westwood Council on Aging: The mission of the Westwood Council on Aging is to identify and serve the diverse needs of all Westwood citizens 60 and older, as well as disabled adults. The grant will subsidize a produce delivery to seniors in Westwood, through partnerships with local farms.

The following two organizations also received grants from BID Needham, in the amount of $25,000 per year over three years, for partnership programs offered in the community and hospital:

Needham Resilience Network:
Offered in partnership with The Crimson Lion / Lavine Family Foundation, this is the second year of a three-year grant to establish the Needham Resilience Network (NRN). The NRN is a “whole of society” effort designed to establish relationships across silos, anchor participants in the framing and language of belonging, build skills in communicating across difference, explore local issues from various perspectives, and facilitate a process of co-creation in proposing solutions.

Circle of Hope: The mission of Circle of Hope is to provide infants, children, and adults experiencing homelessness in Boston and Metro West with clothing and necessities in order to preserve and enhance overall health and personal dignity. This is the third year Circle of Hope and BID Needham have partnered to offer an “ED Essentials Closet” to BID Needham patients who do not have the clothing, shoes and necessities for a healthy discharge.

Finally, this last organization received its fifth and final payment of $31,695 per year:

Needham Aging Services:
This grant provides access to fitness and healthy aging programming for aging adults in the Needham Community. Examples of the programming have included classes on balance, arthritis, and brain health, as well as the regular fitness programs offered at Needham’s Center at the Heights.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital - Needham

Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham (BID Needham) is a licensed 73-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. For more information about Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham, please visit https://www.bidneedham.org/.

BID Needham is a 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 4,800 physicians and 36,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education. For more information about Beth Israel Lahey Health, please visit www.bilh.org.