LCHC garners $95G health grant

LYNN – Lynn Community Health Center will use $95,000 it received from a major health care fund Tuesday to help people suffering diabetes, depression and other chronic diseases avoid complications that could send them to an emergency room.The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation plans to give the Center a second $95,000 grant next year to help improve the care of uninsured adults with serious chronic disease.Center Director Lori Abrams Berry said the money will expand a program now run by two community health workers who help Spanish-speaking patients manage their diabetes.The workers help patients establish a routine to balance their nutrition and medication.”We’re already seeing a decrease in emergency room utilization,” Berry said.Berry said expanding the program will help patients suffering from depression and other chronic but treatable ailments live stable lives and avoid medical emergencies.With the grant, the Center is expected to strengthen clinical relationships with approximately 400 uninsured patients and train nurse case managers in conducting patient assessment, treatment planning, follow-up and coordination with primary care providers.The Center saw 28,500 patients last year and its chronic care program could become a model for a statewide program.”The program built by the Health Center to track and manage the cases of the hard-to-reach chronically ill is impressive,” said Foundation President and former state Sen. Jarrett T. Barrios. “The Health Center is building something that will permanently improve the quality of life for those in this vulnerable population.”Barrios and Berry said the Center was selected to receive the $190,000 in Foundation funding from among hundreds of funding applications.”It is particularly welcome at this time of significant change in the health care environment when many low income people and immigrants are confused about whether they can continue to access community based primary care,” Berry said.The Foundation was founded in 2001 with an initial endowment of $55 million from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts; the endowment has since grown to $100 million.