Boston Medical Center commits millions to new Economic Justice Hub
New England Council member Boston Medical Center (BMC) recently announced it will allocate a $3 million grant from the MassMutual Foundation toward a program to support the economic welfare of pediatric patients and their families. MassMutual is also a Council member.
The Economic Justice Hub will consist of three branches as BMC leads other hospitals in tackling inequalities in healthcare access. The first branch will expand BMC’s StreetCred program–a free tax filing series started in 2016 that has returned more than $14 million to families and assisted them in opening 529 college savings accounts. The second branch will create new jobs for parents as peer educators and financial navigators to help other families in pediatrics seeking financial support. The third branch will facilitate a study on the “cliff effect,” which occurs when a person’s wage increase triggers a disproportionate loss of government benefits, leaving families with limited resources to allocate toward healthcare, housing, food, and childcare.
“We know that wealth is directly tied to health,” said Alastair Bell, MD, MBA, President & CEO of BMC Health System. “Through initiatives like the Economic Justice Hub, we are building on BMC’s quality, compassionate care with family supports that address the economic inequities at the root of many health disparities. We are grateful for partners like the MassMutual Foundation who generously invest in this work, which can truly impact the healthy futures of our community.”
The New England Council commends BMC’s efforts to increase the welfare of its patients and their families and MassMutual for supporting this important work through its MassMutual Foundation.
Read more in the Boston Business Journal.