Blue Cross Blue Shield Awards Malden Organization $60K Grant

MALDEN, MA — The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation awarded more than $3 million in grants to 64 community-based programs and projects that promote sustainable improvements in health care access for low-income and uninsured residents of Massachusetts.

The Disability Policy Consortium, based in Malden, was among the awardees. The organization received $60,000 from Blue Cross Blue Shield.

"With this round of grant-making, we remain steadfast in our multi-year commitments to expanding access to behavioral health urgent care, investing in new models to address the social determinants of health, strengthening statewide advocacy for health access, and supporting local efforts to obtain coverage for Massachusetts residents," Audrey Shelto, president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, said in a statement. "At the same time, we are pleased to have distributed funds to community-based organizations responding to the pandemic in communities that have been inequitably impacted."

The grants were awarded in the second half of 2020 for initiatives continuing into 2021. They include the Foundation's four key grant-making program areas:

• Connecting Consumers with Care, which supports community-based organizations that assist eligible consumers with securing, maintaining, and navigating health insurance coverage.
• Expanding Access to Behavioral Health Urgent Care, which builds upon the state’s existing Emergency Services Program (ESP) system and expands the recipient organizations’ ability to provide community-based behavioral health urgent care.
• Going Beyond Health Care: Addressing Social Determinants Through a Cross-Sector Approach, which supports the coordination of services by interdisciplinary teams to address clinical and non-clinical needs of low-income and vulnerable populations.
• Strengthening the Voice for Access, which supports statewide organizations working on expanding access to health care and promoting the health care interests of low-income residents.

The Special Initiatives program continued to provide one-time grants to nonprofits and projects that predominantly service people of color, including some with a special focus on responding to community needs caused by COVID-19.