Fallon Community Health Plan awards $20,000 to Western Massachusetts Labor Action

Grant money to support underlying causes of family instability and separation

Worcester, Mass., November 13, 2008—Fallon Community Health Plan (FCHP) is pleased to announce it will award $20,000 to Western Massachusetts Labor Action through its Community Benefits Grant program. The funding will support the organization’s outreach efforts that address chronic financial problems that stem from insufficient income and the high cost of necessities.

"The Western Massachusetts Labor Action helps to provide essential, survival needs for low-income workers and their families who often have to choose between such basics as heating their homes and feeding their families," said Thacher L. Kent, Operations Manager, Western Massachusetts Labor Action. "We have seen families be torn apart because of the tremendous stress created by eviction notices and other economic crises. This program allows us to address those problems at the root by tackling the economic disasters that produce them."

This grant will expand the organization’s Utility Advocacy benefit by recruiting more volunteers to reach an additional 1,000 low-income homes each year. "Our volunteer advocates fight to resolve the immediate crisis and to also educate families on how to avoid the problem in the future," added Kent.

The Western Massachusetts Labor Action was established in 1974 by and for low-income working people in Berkshire County. The organization is a self help and voluntary unincorporated membership association where members can aid other members with basic needs and address long-term solutions to the economic hardships they have in common. Membership is open to all, including workers out of work or on a fixed income due to age or disability, with voluntary dues of 62 cents per month. Since 1974, Western Massachusetts Labor Action has signed up more than 16,000 members.

Every year, Fallon Community Health Plan seeks grant applications from non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the lives of youth in communities throughout Massachusetts.

"During these hard economic times, it is critical that we reach out to families to ensure that children have nutritious food, warm clothing, heat and other necessities to help them feel safe and keep them healthy," said Eric H. Schultz, President and CEO, Fallon Community Health Plan. "Through the great work of the Western Massachusetts Labor Action, many families have been given the opportunity to close the gap between their income and their expenses with solutions that will positively impact their lives for the future."

Lauren M. Petit
lauren.petit@fchp.org

About FCHP
Founded in 1977, Fallon Community Health Plan provides health care services designed to meet the unique and changing needs of all we serve. FCHP is the only health plan in Massachusetts that is both an insurer and provider of care. Our product portfolio includes a variety of group and individual health plan options (HMO, POS, PPO, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans) featuring flexible and innovative benefit designs. We administer fully-insured and self-insured funding arrangements with customized services for employers. Our uniquely developed provider networks offer high-quality, cost-effective, coordinated care and give our members access to doctors and hospitals throughout Massachusetts. We also offer a broad spectrum of services and programs to ensure our members, at every stage of life, remain as healthy and productive as possible. FCHP is a provider of care through its Summit ElderCare® program, an advanced and completely integrated program that offers seniors and their caregivers an alternative to nursing home placement. Our continued commitment to deliver high-quality health care and exceptional customer service has earned FCHP consistent ratings as one of the nation’s top health plans, and in 2007, placed our Medicare and Medicaid health plans as the best in the nation. FCHP is the only health plan in Massachusetts to have been awarded “Excellent” Accreditation by the National Committee for Quality Assurance for our HMO, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid products.