By Alberto Suris
As a part of the Lawrence General Hospital Surgical Building Construction Determination of Need, Lawrence General is donating a total of $2.4 million to the city over six years for the development of primary and preventive health programs, and the promotion of community-level policy change to benefit vulnerable populations in our service area.
“We are looking at this as an opportunity to develop the kinds of programming that truly can change people’s lives for the better,” says Vilma Lora, Director of Social Justice Initiatives at the YWCA of Greater Lawrence, who coordinates the City of Lawrence Mayor’s Health Task Force through a City contract with the YWCA. “We are digging deep into the culture of our region’s underserved and challenged populations to see what meaningful work we can do to influence health.”
Part of the money is funding the people power to organize the programming, including a resource development professional to help make the programs sustainable long term, and to leverage the opportunity to develop even more funding streams. Other portions of the dollars are earmarked for specific programs to foster youth leadership development and increase awareness about health inequities to address youth health and wellness, and support the prevention of prevalent chronic diseases through physical activity and healthier eating, all developed to be sensitive and responsive to cultural barriers.
These funds also support mental health services with the goal of building capacity and cultural competence among area behavioral/mental health providers through the offering of an annual professional speaker series. Mental health forums will also be offered for the community at large to help reduce the stigma typically associated with mental illness, and to provide education, information and resources to the community, reducing barriers to accessing health care services.
“This is another great example of projects we have undertaken in recent years, that reach beyond the walls of the hospital, and bring care closer to the patients, into the communities where they live and work,” comments Dianne J. Anderson, RN, president and CEO at Lawrence General Hospital. “Our goal is to respond to the cultural realities of the populations with negative social determinants of health, provide needed access to health education, and give people the means to make significant changes that will improve their health.”
The Hospital is embracing a requirement of the Determination of Need approval for the city’s biggest private construction project ever. Robin Hynds, a nurse responsible for outreach and integrated care at the hospital, and an appointed member of the Mayor’s Health Task Force Executive Committee, will help administer the funds. “We have carefully identified programs we feel have real potential, including things like the Lawrence Youth Council—a group of up to twenty young people who are committed to addressing the major threats to health among our younger citizens,” says Hynds. “We are also funding ‘Healthy on the Block” —a program to provide financial and technical support to neighborhood bodegas, so they can offer fresher, healthier food options and produce to their customers, many of whom do all their household food shopping in these corner stores.”
“The projects the hospital is funding through these dollars are unique to this community, based upon identified cultural and demographic influencers of health and wellbeing among our citizens,” comments Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera. “The creative solutions that have been developed and continue to be identified through this important public/private partnership set us up to be more successful, because they build on existing strengths in our community and align solutions with the culture and circumstances. This is a great way to engage our citizens in lifestyle changes and Make Lawrence Better.”
The project has just finished its first year planning with the goal of influencing the major risks to health identified by the Massachusetts Department of Health and reinforced by the 2014 Community Health Needs Assessment conducted by Lawrence General Hospital:
- Chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma, as well as cancer and related risk factors like obesity
- Substance abuse and mental health, which are considered pressing concerns with insufficient services currently available to address the community’s needs
- Barriers to accessing health care, including health information and support in choosing healthier lifestyles
