Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative (MHAC) was awarded a two-year grant of $175,000 from Tufts Health Plan Foundation to continue to drive the state’s leadership in the age-friendly movement through collective action, convening, and community engagement.
MHAC has become the go-to source for communities seeking information and resources for becoming more age-friendly while aligning with dementia friendly initiatives. As a trusted partner and advocate for organizations working both locally and statewide, MHAC is the lead for several action items under the state’s multiyear plan, ReiMAgine Aging, released by the Executive Office of Elder Affairs. This project enables capacity building across the state by helping communities and decision-makers integrate an equity-based, age-friendly lens to funding and policies. The state recently released its Year Two Progress Report on the ReiMAgine Aging plan. MHAC is a key partner for backbone organizations doing similar work in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
“The partnerships and connections built through the age-and dementia friendly movement enabled communities to better support and be inclusive of older adults during the pandemic,” said James Fuccione, Senior Director of the MHAC. “We are proud to continue these innovative and collective efforts with a wide range of stakeholders while working to embed equity so that we can achieve healthy aging for all.”
Tufts Health Plan Foundation is the only regional funder exclusively focused on healthy aging. This is one of 16 new community investments totaling nearly $2 million reflecting the Foundation’s support for collaborative initiatives helping communities in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island be great places to grow up and grow old. The new grants engage older people in systems-level change to remove barriers responsible for inequities in communities across the region.
“Older people were among the hardest hit by the pandemic,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president for corporate citizenship at Point32Health. “These investments will support community resiliency and build on what we’ve learned in the past 16 months—that collaboration across organizations and sectors strengthens communities and result in better outcomes.”
About Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative
The Massachusetts Healthy Aging Collaborative is a statewide, cross-sector network of stakeholders committed to promoting and supporting inclusive age- and dementia friendly communities. The Collaborative is supported by Tufts Health Plan Foundation, the Executive Office of Elder Affairs, Massachusetts Councils on Aging Association, AARP Massachusetts and Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley/North Shore.
About Tufts Health Plan Foundation
Established in 2008, Tufts Health Plan Foundation supports the health and wellness of the diverse communities we serve. The Foundation has given nearly $50 million to nonprofits in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. Our focus is healthy living with an emphasis on older people and moving communities toward age-friendly policies and practices that are relevant, focus on older people, and include them in community solutions. In 2021, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan combined under a common parent organization, Point32Health. Moving forward, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan Foundations will work as one to benefit community. Visit www.tuftshealthplanfoundation.org for grant program information and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.