December 25, 2024
Health New England gives $250K to local nonprofit agencies in Keroack’s name
BY MassLive
SPRINGFIELD — Health New England has awarded $250,000 in grants to five local organizations in recognition of recently retired Dr. Mark Keroack, former president and CEO of Baystate Health and chair of the insurer’s board.
Mark Keroack, former president and CEO of Baystate Health, at the roundtable discussion at Baystate Family Advocacy Center in Springfield on Jun. 27, 2023. (Hoang ‘Leon’ Nguyen / The Republican, File)
Keroack served in these roles for about 10 years.
The Dr. Mark A. Keroack Health Equity Grant was designed to fund the work of nonprofit groups advancing equity in health care, a passion and priority of Keroack. He served on the committee that chose the following five winners: Community Legal Aid, Wellspring Community Harvest of Springfield, Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts, Stone Soup Cafe of Greenfield and The Care Center of Holyoke.
Each of these five grantees will receive $50,000 to fund their respective programs.
As part of Community Legal Aid’s Pioneer Valley Farmworker Medical-Legal Partnership, an attorney from the Central West Justice Center affiliate will be integrated into the health care team at Baystate Brightwood Health Center, or “La Cliniquita.” Onsite, the attorney will provide staff training on patients’ legal rights, identify social determinants of health, lead “know-your-rights” workshops and work closely with the care team to tackle systemic barriers.
Wellspring Community Harvest’s Go Fresh Mobile Market will broaden its prescription produce program to three local health centers, including Brightwood, Mason Square and High Street Health Centers. This initiative connects people struggling with diet-related illnesses to healthy food options through health-care-prescribed fresh produce.
The grant also will enable the distribution of health and nutrition information to 12 additional mobile market sites across Springfield, including public housing, senior housing and community centers. This effort will include nutrition classes, screenings and medical advice, all aimed at promoting fruit and vegetable consumption to combat chronic health conditions, such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.
Planned Parenthood of Massachusetts will use the funding to develop strategies ensuring equitable, dignified, and quality care for undocumented immigrants and refugees seeking sexual and reproductive health services. Additionally, Planned Parenthood will increase recruitment of multilingual staff to better serve diverse populations.
Stone Soup Cafe in Greenfield will broaden its weekly community meal and community store programs. Each Saturday, the community meal serves 550 to 600 balanced, nutritious meals to over 180 households on a pay-what-you-can basis, totaling 31,812 meals in 2023. The community store, also open on Saturdays, supplies 80 to 110 households with essential produce, groceries and personal care items.
The Care Center’s Healthy Homes, Healthy Families program in Holyoke will provide comprehensive support to 10 low-income families headed by women. From November to October, these families will receive safe and stable housing, behavioral health services, health care, and tuition-free education, empowering them to build a brighter future.
“I am deeply honored that Health New England has chosen to celebrate my work with these generous grants,” said Keroack in a statement. “These organizations are critical to improving the social determinants that can have a devastating impact on people’s health.”
Health New England is a not-for-profit health insurer, serving members in Massachusetts and Connecticut. A wholly owned subsidiary of Baystate Health, Health New England offers a range of health care plans in the commercial, Medicaid and Medicare markets.
Its headquarters is in Springfield. For more information, visit healthnewengland.org.