Blue Hills Community Health Alliance 
CHNA 20
April 2016 Newsletter
 

2016/2017
Community Grant RFA
Grants up to $5,000 each are available to fund projects that foster collaboration and build on the coalition's core priority areas of Chronic Disease & Wellness and Access to Care & Services. Applicants must be from a non-profit organization and/or public entity that serve one or more CHNA 20 cities and towns. 

Potential applicants are encouraged to participate in a facilitated Informational Session for a program overview. The session will be an opportunity for questions & answers, collaboration building and networking.
Friday, April 15, 2016
9:30-11:30 AM  
Quincy Center for Innovation, 3rd Floor 
180 Old Colony Avenue, Quincy, MA 

Interested applicants must submit an Intent to Apply by 5 PM Friday, April 29. Completed applications are due by 5 PM Friday, May 20, 2016.

To see the CHNA 20 Community Grant Program Application (including the Intent to Apply), view prior funded projects, and RSVP to the information session, please visit our website www.chna20.org  and click on the Funding Opportunities tab. 

The Community Grants will be reviewed on 
Friday, June 10, 2016 from 9 AM to 1 PM. 
If you would like to part of the CHNA 20 Grant Review Team, 
please contact Arlene at 


New CHNA 20 Mental Health Initiative

Mental health and the stigma that surrounds it has been identified as a concern in our communities. Mental health stigma refers to the "prejudicial attitudes and discriminating behavior directed towards individuals with mental health problems as a result of the psychiatric label they have been given."  (Psychology Today, 2013)
 
In response to the identified needs, CHNA 20 has developed a new Mental Health Anti-Stigma Initiative. The first phase of the project is based on the concept of Community Conversations; small groups of 8-15 individuals invited to come together in a facilitated conversation to identify attitudes and beliefs about mental health. The groups will also be an opportunity to increase awareness of available resources, educate participants on topics related to mental health, and gather ideas about how to improve the issue of mental health stigma for our residents.
 
Beginning in May, 2016 CHNA 20 will sponsor 5 to 6 diverse Community Conversation focus groups. Based on the success of prior initiatives, we have created four geographical clusters for the groups:
 
1. Hull, Quincy, Weymouth
2. Braintree, Milton, Randolph, 
3. Cohasset, Hingham, Norwell, Scituate
4. Canton, Norwood, Sharon
 
Information gathered from the focus groups along with other data gathered in our communities will be used by CHNA 20 to create a grant program for local organizations to address identified community mental health needs. The initiative will also give CHNA 20 the ability to deepen connections and links with local mental health support networks to align mental health goals and resources. 

If you or your organization would like to host a focus group at your site, please contact Arlene:

What can you or your organization do right now to improve Mental Health outcomes for our residents? 
Here are five local ways to participate, advocate and learn.

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Interfaith Social Services South Shore Walk & 5 K  Race
Supporting our friends, neighbors and family affected by mental illness and addiction
Saturday, April 30, 2016
9:30 AM Registration 10:30 Race 
Starts & ends at Kennedy Center, 440 E. Squantum St., Quincy

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Become a member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI is a vital state resource for individuals and families facing the challenges of mental illness, providing free mental health family-based education, family and peer support and grassroots advocacy.

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Enhance Asian Community on Health (EACH)
 Emotional Health Forum
A professionally conducted forum to bring awareness to emotional health and decrease the negative stigma surrounding it.

Saturday May 14, 2016
9:30 AM Registration & Refreshments  
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM Forum    
Thomas Crane Library 
40 Washington Street, Quincy
The event will be conducted in Chinese (Mandarin)
For more information and to register contact:
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Hoarding Training

In Pursuit of a Life Less Cluttered

Please join the Scituate Hoarding Response Team for a presentation by Lee Shuer and Bec Belofsky Shuer.  They will  share their clutter recovery story, and their passion for promoting peer support.

Saturday, April 30th 2016 
1:00 -3:00 pm
St. Luke's Episcopal Church
465 First Parish Road, Scituate, MA 02066
Light refreshments will be served

To register, contact Laura Minier at 781.378.1653 or lminier@scituatema.gov  

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MIAA Teen Mental Health Summit 
Creating Communities of Awareness and Support Conference
Wednesday, April 27, 2016
8 AM to 2 PM
Doubletree Hotel, Westborough, MA

FOR: School Administrators, Wellness Coordinators, A. D.'s, Teachers, Coaches, Nurses, Guidance Staff, Team Captains, Student Ambassadors, Student Leaders, Class and Activity Group Officers, Club Advisors, School Resource Officers, PTO's. Schools are encouraged to register a group of student and adult of participants. 
  For information contact:      Cora Armenio     508-541-7997    carmenio@mssaa.org   
ADVOCACY
Town of Cohasset Tobacco Regulations Review
On Thursday, April 14th the Town of Cohasset will hold a public hearing surrounding possible changes to its tobacco regulations. The Cohasset Board of Health is looking at regulations such as restricting all flavored tobacco products to adult only establishments, creating a 500 foot buffer zone from schools for any new tobacco retailers, and implementing higher fines and penalties for permit violations. The hearing will be held at Cohasset Town Hall at 7 PM.
For more information to advocate for these possible changes contact:
Larissa Swenson, Greater Boston Tobacco-Free Community Partnership 
Program Coordinator  at 857.939.4528
Susan Sarni, Cohasset Public Health Leader ssarni@cohassetma.org
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Fair Share Constitutional Amendment: 
Take Action in April for Transportation Justice 
 Safe, affordable transportation is essential for health equity. Insufficient investment in  transportation threatens to leave MA residents without viable public transit options to get to work, school, groceries, healthcare and other necessities. The MA Public Health Association (MPHA) is partnering with Raise Up Massachusetts,to lead the campaign to pass the Fair Share Constitutional Amendment.
 
The amendment's benefit would be that by increasing the state income tax by 4 percentage points for the 14,000 wealthiest individuals (less than half of 1% of MA's 6.8 million residents) an additional $1.5 billion per year is raised. The amendment stipulates that all additional revenue would go to two purposes--improving transportation and public education.
 
Here's how you can help:
1. Call or email your state Senator and Representative and ask them each "to vote in favor of the Fair Share Constitutional Amendment" at a Constitutional Convention, likely held in early May 2016.
 To find your MA Senator and Representative click here
2.. Ask others in your network to take action too by simply forwarding this email!
 
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact MPHA's Field Director, Andrea Freeman (857-263-7072 x103). 
COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
BID Milton Community Health Grants Announced
Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Milton (BID-Milton) is offering mini-grants in amounts ranging from $500 up to $1,500 to local service agencies, non-profit organizations, Boards of Health, coalitions and community groups to address specific community health needs outlined in the hospital's 2014 Community Health Needs Assessment.

Contact Robert McCrystal, Director of Communications, at 617-313-1590 and/or click on the link below to find out more information and how to apply.
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Manet Community Health Center
2016 Spring Celebration and Auction  
When: Thursday, May 12, 2016, 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Where: Granite Links Golf Club, 100 Quarry Hills Drive
Quincy, MA 02169
As an independent, not-for-profit community health center organization, Manet's day-to-day operations are made possible through special events like this Dinner and Auction. Proceeds help Manet Community Health Center fund the essential primary care services they deliver to their 14,300 patients in 5 locations.
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Maria Droste Counseling Center
Bringing Hope to Life Fashion Gala  

April 28, 2016 ~ 6 pm
The Lantana, 43 Scanlon Drive,  Randolph, MA

Join Maria Droste for an evening of Fabulous Fashions, Great Food & Fun! 
Tickets available online at: http://mariadrostecounseling.com/
All proceeds of the fashion show fundraiser directly support their mission of serving individuals and families who deserve the right to quality mental health, substance abuse treatment & holistic therapy services regardless of their inability to pay for services. Each ticket purchased includes hors d'oeuvres, a sit down dinner & fabulous fashion show. 
For  information about the event contact Stacey Campbell at 617.471.5686
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Please join us as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the 
Harbor Health Elder Service Plan


Thursday May 12th 
6:00 pm -8:30 pm
Appetizers and refreshments
Featuring a performance by the Boston Community Choir
 
Harbor Health Elder Service Plan
1135 Morton Street
Mattapan, MA
 
Please RSVP to Julie Richer at jricher@hhsi.us
or
617-533-2437
Our Funders

We believe the path to sustainable change for the health of our communities
lies in multi-sector, collaborative, interdisciplinary efforts that address the roots of health disparities. Serving the towns of Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, Milton, Norwell, Norwood, Quincy, Randolph, Scituate, Sharon, and Weymouth.
Blue Hills Community Health Network Alliance (CHNA 20) | chna20@baystatecs.org | www.chna20.org