Boston Public Health Commission Introduces Community Health Equity Empowerment Fund

BOSTON Monday, July 24, 2023 – The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) today announced the creation of the Community Health Equity Empowerment Fund (CHEE Fund), a new initiative that will provide grants to local nonprofit and community organizations (CBOs) committed to promoting health equity through prevention, intervention and response services. Using funding from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), BPHC will distribute a total of $1 million in CHEE grants this year, equating to $200,000 per organization awarded. BPHC has issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) that Boston-based organizations can fill out to apply for funding. The deadline for the RFP is August 18 at 5:00 PM.

In partnership with BPHC, beneficiaries will develop strategies to connect or re-engage residents in health care, increase access to prevention strategies, and improve social determinants of health. The funds allocated through CHEE should be used to help anchor sustainable, consistent, and fundamental resources that promote and maintain health equity in communities of greatest need. The CHEE Fund is a product of BPHC’s Advancing Health Equity Framework (2020-2023), which aims to address the need for greater empowerment and community involvement to advance health equity in Boston’s most vulnerable neighborhoods by providing residents with fair access to the resources that promote and protect the best possible health.

One of the most important lessons learned during COVID-19 is that community organizations and coalitions are essential to advancing health equity, said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, public health commissioner and executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. Many of the organizations that have been so effective during the pandemic are underfunded and unable to address the other disparities Boston residents face. Investing in organizations through the CHEE Fund is one of many ways we can promote community engagement and empowerment.

Health inequality is a persistent problem in Boston among communities with higher concentrations of blacks, Latinx, immigrants, and other historically marginalized groups. BPHC’s latest Health of Boston (HoB) report highlighted the many ways social determinants of health, including housing quality, education, employment, environmental health, health care, public safety, access to food, income and health and social services, impact residents’ health outcomes.

The most concerning finding of the HoB report was that a Roxbury census trajectory has the lowest life expectancy in Boston (68.8 years), 23 years less than a Back Bay census trajectory, which had the highest life expectancy (91.6 years). At the neighborhood level, Mattapan has the shortest life expectancy (77.3 years) and Back Bay has the longest life expectancy (82.8 years). From 2017 to 2021, black Boston residents experienced the largest increase in premature death rates (37.3%), and by 2021, the premature death rate was more than twice as high in Dorchester (293.9) and Roxbury (282.9). These neighborhoods have higher concentrations of Black and Latinx residents and lower median incomes than Back Bay, Downtown, and Beacon Hill (140.3).

The report also points to persistent health disparities in chronic disease outcomes by race and ethnicity. In 2021, the overall cancer death rate was highest among black men (218.9) and the breast cancer death rate was highest among black women (24.2). Similarly, the reports also found that the death rate from heart disease was 37% higher for Black residents (158.5) compared to White residents (115.6) in 2021. Further, the diabetes death rate for Black residents (50.9) and Latinx residents (28.6) was 3.1 and 1.8 times higher than the rate for White residents (16.1).

The grants made available through CHEE are a critical resource to help us build a city that is truly equitable for all families, Mayor Wu said. Helping people stay connected to care and addressing social determinants of health are essential to achieving this goal.

The CHEE Fund will award funding to five CBOs to address the imbalances of access, resources and opportunity in economic, social and other barriers to health and healthcare in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, East Boston, Hyde Park and Roslindale. BPHC will prioritize funding for organizations proposing collaborative initiatives that promote community partnerships and partner with community health centers to connect residents to health care and health care resources.

To learn more about the CHEE Fund and to request the RFP, visit https://www.boston.gov/bid-listings/16039326

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