Regional Public Health

Public health is everywhere. From the water we drink, the vaccinations we receive, the restaurants we eat in, and the warning on a box of cigarettes, public health services ensure that the general public remains healthy and safe. With approximately 350 local boards of health in Massachusetts, the provision of these essential services is often fragmented and inconsistent across community lines. Local boards of public health also lack of adequate resources, training, and are often short staffed.

Given the current economic situation and the work by municipal leaders to search for and create greater efficiencies in the delivery of local services, the MetroWest Health Foundation is exploring collaborative approaches to the delivery of public health in the MetroWest area. The Foundation is providing incentive grants for the development of shared service and/or comprehensive public health districts among area towns.

In keeping with our goal to expand regional efforts to improve public health, the Foundation will be providing matching funds over the next five years for a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Community Transformation Grant that will benefit three MetroWest communities.  The CDC grant will help promote health and wellness programs that will prevent chronic disease in Framingham, Hudson and Marlborough.  Funds will be used to transform where residents live, work and play so they can lead healthier, more productive lives as well as ensure all residents have access to quality health care.

The funds will enable these three communities to participate as a new tri-town Mass in Motion community.  The statewide Mass in Motion program was started by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health in 2009 with the goal of reducing the number of residents who are overweight or obese by encouraging healthy eating and active living. The Mass in Motion program was launched with the support of area health philanthropies including the MetroWest Health Foundation.