Cambridge Health Alliance and Mass General Brigham  are pleased announce that as of January 4th, 2021, $490,524.73 is being offered to the community to fund Community Health Initiatives (CHI). This funding is available per the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Determination of Need (DoN) Regulation, through DoN Application # PHS-19093011-HS, filed by Massachusetts General Brigham Incorporated f/k/a Partners HealthCare System Inc. for a proposed project by Massachusetts General Physicians Organization (MGPO) for the expansion of its existing imaging clinic to a new satellite at Assembly Square, Somerville. MGPO has partnered with Cambridge Health Alliance for the process of determining the distribution of CHI funds.

This CHI aligns with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health goals of identifying, understanding, and addressing the underlying root causes of health inequities and promoting health equity through policy, system, and environmental change. This CHI will focus on addressing behavioral health, specifically, mental illness/mental health, and the social determinants of health (SDoH) impacting at-risk individuals and the community.

The funding, which will be distributed over 1-2 years, is to support policy, system, and/or environmental change that will improve the health of Somerville residents in the following areas: (1) Mental/Behavioral Health, (2) Housing Stability and (3) Access to Early Education. These 3 identified health priorities above will be addressed using the following strategies: (1) increasing black, indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and LGBTQ representation in the mental health workforce, (2) supporting housing stability, and (3) supporting access to behavioral health in early childhood care and education.

The Somerville DoN Request for Proposals (RFP) can be found here, and can also be found on the Somerville DoN Portal.  

The RFP is due on February 26th, 2021 at 5 p.m.; further instructions are included in the RFP.  A Bidders Conference and Technical Assistance session will be offered remotely in January 2021 and registration information for both may be found on the Somerville DoN Portal. 

Please contact Renee Cammarata Hamilton (rcammaratahamilton@challiance.org) for further information.