State Gets New Federal Money To Promote Public Health, Reduce Obesity

The Patrick-Murray Administration today announced $3 million in federal grants to expand community-based programs aimed at improving wellness and reducing health care costs in cities and towns across Massachusetts. The Administration will direct the funding to programs in 43 cities and towns to promote health and wellness initiatives to promote active lifestyles, and healthy eating, while reducing obesity and tobacco use.

“This funding will help our Administration partner with cities and towns to make people in Massachusetts healthier and safer,” said Governor Deval Patrick. “Massachusetts was the model for national health care reform, and I thank the Obama Administration for helping us advance our health care infrastructure.”

“This investment expands local health services and will help prevent illness,” said Senator John Kerry...

The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and will be administered by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). The grants are designed to take a prevention-based approach to improving health and wellness in cities and towns across Massachusetts. Communities which will receive funding include:

Adams, Amherst, Barnstable, Belchertown, Brockton, Cambridge, Clarksburg, Dennis, Everett, Framingham, Great Barrington, Greenfield, Harwich, Hudson, Holyoke, Lee, Lenox, Lowell, Malden, Marlborough, Martha’s Vineyard, Medford, Melrose, Montague, Nantucket, North Adams, Northampton, Orange, Orleans, Pittsfield, Plymouth, Somerville, Springfield, Stockbridge, Wakefield, Waltham, Wellfleet, and Williamsburg...

The funding will also be used to develop an innovative partnership with select community-based health care providers aimed at reducing high blood pressure and cholesterol which can contribute to heart disease and stroke. Participating providers will receive technical assistance to improve their Electronic Health Records, in a way that will prompt clinical interventions against high blood pressure during patient office visits.

In other grant activities, DPH will collaborate with the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) on Middlesex Community Transformation, an innovative project that seeks to integrate public health promotion into other regional and multi-sector planning efforts in the densely populated and ethnically diverse communities of Middlesex County.