Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham Awards $860,000 in Grants to Three Dedham Nonprofits

Needham, Mass. - As part of its longstanding commitment to the community, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham (BID Needham) has awarded $860,000 in grants to be distributed over three years to three nonprofits in Dedham with a focus on housing and mental health and substance use.

“These nonprofit organizations add tremendous value to the community, and it is our privilege to help support their work,” said John Fogarty, president, Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham. “We share a common mission: ensuring the health and well-being of our residents.”

The grants announced today include:

• Housing Grant ($344,000) – This grant to Neighborhoodworks Housing Solutions will support homelessness prevention and housing stabilization for 100 low/moderate-income tenants and homeowners in Greater Dedham. Specifically, it will:
  • Provide triage and referral for 50 tenants and homeowners facing a housing crisis;
  • Avert displacement for 10 eligible homeowners experiencing housing distress by providing financial assistance and other supports;
  • “Rehouse with Dignity” 40 homeowner households requiring rehousing through counseling and one-on-one support.
• Dedham Public Schools ($345,000) – This grant will support a complete partnership between Dedham Schools and Boston College’s City Connects program.
  • The City Connects program is an evidence-based intervention that will work with the Dedham Public Schools to build a network of school and community supports for all students and families.
  • The grant will fund ongoing professional development for faculty, coaching to support the program, proprietary software essential to identify needed school and community-based supports for students, and a data analysis of the results.
  • Implemented to address the needs of the more than 2,500 students enrolled in Dedham Public Schools.
• Town of Dedham ($171,000) – This grant will support rides and a part-time employee for a new Town of Dedham transportation program. The program will use ride share options, taxis, etc. to provide rides to residents going to mental health and/or substance use programs and support groups both in and out of Dedham.  The appointments can be with any healthcare provider.

The grants are part of BID Needham’s commitment to the community to invest in local healthcare goals. These grants have been allocated as part of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Determination of Need process for the new ambulatory surgical care center at 40 Allied Drive Suite 200, in Dedham. Fifteen orthopedic physicians in partnership with New England Baptist Hospital (NEBH), and Constitution Surgery Alliance (CSA) have converted an existing hospital-based surgical facility to a new ambulatory surgery center called New England Baptist Surgery Center, LLC. It is focused on all outpatient orthopedic surgical subspecialties, including total joint replacement, sports medicine, hand, wrist, elbow, and foot surgeries.

About Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital–Needham

Beth Israel Deaconess-Needham (BID Needham) is a licensed 73-bed acute care community hospital. BID Needham has served residents in Needham and surrounding communities for more than 100 years. The hospital has been recognized by several organizations for quality and safety, including five-out-of-five stars from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), an “A” grade from the Leapfrog Group, the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission and the 2019 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Quality Achievement Award.

Beth Israel Deaconess-Needham is part of Beth Israel Lahey Health, a health care system that brings together academic medical centers and teaching hospitals, community and specialty hospitals, more than 4,700 physicians and 39,000 employees in a shared mission to expand access to great care and advance the science and practice of medicine through groundbreaking research and education.