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AGM Members and Partners
As we all know, the State of Massachusetts has
passed sweeping health care reform legislation
designed to greatly expand health coverage. But
insurance doesn’t guarantee good health care.
Evidence abounds that even in this medical Mecca,
disparate care exists for minorities who have equal
access to a physician and insurance. For example,
the Boston Public Health Commission reports that
asthma mortality rates for Hispanics/Latinos are more
than four times higher than those for whites. Further,
12.7% of Asian adults reported being unable to afford
to see a doctor when they needed one during the
previous year, compared to 6.2% of whites. Black
men’s mortality rates from prostrate cancer are
almost twice as high as any other group and more
than 10 times higher than those for Asian men.
What does it take to close health care gaps resulting
from ethnic, racial and other differences?
Momentum has been building on national and
local fronts to reduce these disparities. In 2002, the
Institute of
Medicine, a nonprofit advisory unit of the
National
Academy of Sciences, published its influential
report, “Unequal Treatment: Confronting Health Care
Disparities.” Two years later, Governor Romney
appointed the Legislative Commission on Racial &
Ethnic Healthcare Disparities.
Meanwhile, local coalitions of public and private
stakeholders have been testing new approaches that
promise to bring the benefits of medical care to
people who have been left out. Many engage
patients and providers in community-based initiatives
designed to improve health outcomes while lowering
the long-term costs of care.
As always, please contact AGM Communications
Director Gail
Pinkham with your feedback.
- Ron Ancrum, President, Associated
Grant Makers
| Endowment for Health Fosters Best Practices in New Hampshire |
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Founded in 2000, the
Endowment for Health has been working with
health care providers and social service agencies to
reduce social and cultural barriers to health for New
Hampshire’s residents.
Find the Facts: A Resource for New
Hampshire Health Care Professionals
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| Blue Cross Blue Shield Expands Culturally Competent Care |
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Since its inception in 2001, the Blue Cross Blue Shield
of Massachusetts Foundation has committed grants
totaling $19 million to make health care accessible to
the state’s uninsured and low-income residents. The
Foundation conducts two complementary grant
programs.
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| City of Boston Partners with Foundations and Care Providers to Close Health Gaps |
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The Boston Public Health Commission has identified
higher disease incidence and poorer outcomes among
the city’s racial and ethnic minorities, who are more
likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes,
HIV/AIDS, prostate cancer, asthma, and lead
poisoning. Last June, the Commission launched its
Disparities Project to improve access to medical care
for Boson’s growing minority populations.
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| Foundations Support Neighborhood-based Diabetes Care |
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A diabetic pays a steep price for insufficient care:
treatment gaps may result in the loss of vision, limbs
or even life. But how does a community make
complex, long-term diabetic regimens available to all?
The Improving Diabetes Care Initiative of the Richard
and Susan Smith Family Foundation and Paul and
Phyllis Fireman Charitable Foundation supports
innovations in prevention and disease management
that have the potential to save both lives and
money.
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| Iacocca Foundation Invests in Diabetes Cure and Treatment |
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The Iacocca Foundation was founded in 1984 by Lee
Iacocca in memory of his late wife, Mary K. Iacocca,
who died of diabetic complications in 1983. The
Foundation funds innovative and promising research
in an effort to cure diabetes. “Of the $21 million we
have invested in research, about $19 million has gone
to projects in Massachusetts,” says Dana Ball,
executive director of the Foundation.
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| Oral Health: Initiatives Target the Most Vulnerable |
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By Bryan Spence, Interim Director, Oral Health
Foundation
Oral health is a critical component of health and
wellness. Consequences of untreated dental decay
include gum disease, oral cancer, chronic pain,
work/school absenteeism, and low self esteem. Yet
preventive dental care is unaffordable to many
nationwide and in Massachusetts.
Check out Watch Your
Mouth campaign!
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| Access to Dental Care: Miles to go in Massachusetts |
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By Michelle Sanford, Manager of Community
Relations and Dental Access, Massachusetts Dental
Society
In the last several years, the state has cut
MassHealth (Medicaid) dental benefits for low-income
families and individuals. As a result, many children are
not receiving even basic dental care. And nearly 70
percent of children on MassHealth do not receive any
dental care because of limited access to care
providers.
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| Northeast Delta Dental: Educating Dental Hygienists |
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By Kathleen B. Walker,
External Affairs Director, Northeast Delta
Dental
We support dental hygiene training in Maine, New
Hampshire, and Vermont. We have two key
objectives: increasing accessibility for affordable
higher education in dental hygiene and increasing the
number of dental health professionals in these
states.
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| Associated Grant Makers |
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Associated Grant Makers (AGM) is a regional
membership association of foundation staff and
trustees, corporate grant makers, donors, and
philanthropic advisory services. AGM supports the
practice and expansion of effective philanthropic
giving and builds connections with nonprofit leaders
in Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
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IN THIS ISSUE: Find out about the foundations working to prevent and manage diabetes. The foundations highlighted in this issue were all established in the past 6 years. Also, learn about the works of foundations that support oral health and what campaigns are being rolled-out to promote the cause. |
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Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation: Catalyst
of Coalitions
Since 2001, the Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare
Foundation has been working to remedy regional
disparities in health care as a grantmaker, policy
advocate, convener, and by serving as an
educational resource to the health care community.
"Our focus on health disparities began in 2001,
following key informany surveys with community
leaders...
Find out more....
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