April 2026 - Issue #35

From left: Worcester Mayor Joe Petty, Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw, Resident Educator Minerva Caba Toribio, Project Co-Director Sharon MacDonald, state Rep. Daniel Donahue, The Health Foundation President and CEO Dr. Amie Shei, state Sen. Robyn Kennedy, state Sen. Michael Moore, Seven Hills Foundation President and CEO Dr. Kathleen M. Jordan, Project Co-Director Leslie Baker, Seven Hills Foundation VP of Adult Day Services Dr. Timothy R Johnson, Resident Educator Eva Fajardo Marroquín, and Project Coordinator Wanda Ivelisse Garcia Jimenez. (photo: Seven Hills Foundation)

On April 6, the Guild of St. Agnes, in partnership with Seven Hills Foundation and The Health Foundation, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the launch of the Family Childcare Success Project's incubator program. The event welcomed community leaders and local officials including Early Education and Care Commissioner Amy Kershaw, Worcester Mayor Joe Petty, state Representative Daniel Donahue, state Senators Robyn Kennedy and Michael Moore, and Worcester City Councilor John Fresolo to celebrate the launch of the first program of its kind in Central Massachusetts.

Funded through a Synergy Initiative grant, The Health Foundation has invested $1.1 million in the Family Childcare Success Project to date. The incubator is an innovative model designed to help licensed childcare providers overcome challenges in launching their home-based businesses, and as a result, increases access to childcare for local families. It is one of only three programs of its kind in the country; Nurtury Early Education in Boston, the second incubator program in the country, has served as a trusted resource and advisor for the program.

During their residency, the two educators receive training and ongoing support from partner organizations to build a strong foundation for long-term success. This approach addresses childcare deserts in the community while providing a supportive environment for childcare entrepreneurs to build their businesses.

In addition to providing physical space, the Guild offers enrolled families transportation and healthy meals and business operations support for the educators. The Center for Childcare Careers of Seven Hills Foundation provides individualized professional development and resources to help educators build long-term financial stability and business resilience.

Numerous outlets covered the ribbon cutting including: CommonWealth Beacon, The Worcester Business Journal (paid article), and The Worcester Guardian.

The House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources recently advanced bill H.900, “An Act Protecting Drinking Water Quality in Private Wells,” filed by Representatives Natalie Blais and Meg Kilcoyne. This legislation would establish long‑needed statewide health and safety standards for private wells, strengthening protections for the roughly half‑million Massachusetts residents who rely on them for drinking water.

The next step for the bill is the House Committee on Ways and Means. You can take action by submitting written testimony on bill H.900 by April 24, 2026!

Act Now! - Mass Ready Act Amendments

Research from the Private Well Program to Protect Public Health shows that nearly one‑third of private wells may contain levels of contaminants above state standards, yet many homeowners do not regularly test their water. H.900 aims to close this gap by promoting testing, creating consistent safeguards, and offering financial support for remediation. Led by RCAP Solutions, the Coalition for Safe Drinking Water engages a wide range of stakeholders in working together to ensure safe drinking water for all Massachusetts residents.

The Health Foundation continues to advocate for safe drinking water, providing over $2 million in funding for the program since 2020.

A small Mass. town’s water supply is a source of fear

This Boston Globe (paid article) article examines how four years after discovering that hundreds of private wells in Westminster had been contaminated with toxic “forever chemicals,” little is being done and has left residents to deal with the consequences.

In response, Brian Scales, President and CEO of RCAP Solutions, wrote a letter to the editor urging action on statewide health-based drinking water standards for private wells. Brad Campbell, President and CEO of Conservation Law Foundation (and former Commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection), and Katie Theoharides, President and CEO of The Trustees of Reservations (and former Secretary of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs), also penned a letter about systemic delays with Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. These letters can be found here (paid article).

Rural areas deserve safe drinking water, too

A recently published opinion piece by Bill Pula, Chair of the Pelham Board of Health, addresses the regional inequity in water safety between urban and rural Massachusetts and highlights how many in the rural towns that steward the Quabbin Reservoir watershed, which is one of the primary water supplies for Boston, must rely themselves on potentially contaminated private wells.

Recent News

“A Better Life” helps break generational poverty by promoting self-sufficiency

A recent story in CommonWealth Beacon highlights the Worcester Housing Authority's (WHA) "A Better Life" housing program. From 2011-2017, The Health Foundation awarded more than $3 million to the WHA for the “A Better Life” program, a Round 3 Synergy Initiative project that provided comprehensive wraparound services to help residents achieve economic self-sufficiency and transition out of public housing. The project led to system changes to sustain and replicate the model at other public housing authorities in Gloucester, New Bedford, and Taunton. 

Can Food Actually Be Medicine?

A recent New York Times (paid article) article highlights the Food is Medicine movement, and how medically tailored meals can treat chronic illnesses by providing specialized nutrition access. The article highlights Community Servings, the lead organization for the “Food Is Medicine for Central Massachusetts” Round 6 Synergy Initiative project. The Foundation has provided over $1 million to Community Servings since 2025.



The following resources may be of interest to our nonprofit partners and community members. 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

The purpose of the Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program (AOT) is to facilitate the implementation of AOT for adults with serious mental illness. Recipients are expected to implement the AOT program, working with civil courts, community partners, and other entities to support community-based treatment for adults with serious mental illness who meet criteria for AOT. Technical assistance is available through the Mass Federal Funds Infrastructure Office. The application deadline is April 20, 2026.

Executive Office of Health and Human Services (EOHHS)

The EOHHS is accepting nominations for the Rural Health Transformation Program Community Advisory Council (RHTP-CAC). This council will bring community voices to the center of the Rural Health Transformation Program by providing feedback, insights, and on the ground perspectives. Input from the council will help guide program development and support sound, community informed decision making across EOHHS. More information can be found here, and the deadline to submit a nominating form is April 22, 2026 at 5:00 pm.  

Health Care For All (HCFA)

Through its FY27 Medicaid Expansion Population - Outreach, Education & Enrollment Grant, HCFA is seeking community-based and faith-based organizations to conduct outreach, education and MassHealth enrollment assistance to help residents maintain their coverage as new Federal Medicaid requirements take effect. Applications close on April 24, 2026, and finalists will be notified by May 15, 2026. The grant period is July 1, 2026-June 30, 2027. 

Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)

MassCEC's Equity Workforce Training Implementation Grants increase access to modern, relevant training. The grants provide up to $1.2 million across two to three years in direct funding and technical assistance to organizations that can build and scale career pathways leading to climate-critical priority occupations for individuals from Environmental Justice neighborhoods or low-income communities, members of Federally recognized and State-acknowledged Tribes, Fossil Fuel Workers, and other underrepresented populations. The application deadline is May 1, 2026.

Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR)

MDAR invites eligible applicants to apply for the FY27 Food Security Infrastructure Grant (FSIG) for projects that build resilience within the Massachusetts food supply chain and provide greater, more equitable access to nutritious, healthy, and locally grown food. The application deadline is May 4, 2026 at 4:00 pm.  

Leadership Worcester

Applications for the Leadership Worcester Class of 2027 are now being accepted. The application deadline is Monday, May 25, 2026. Leadership Worcester is an intensive 9-month program run by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce that explores a variety of local issues like economic development, public health, and education. Participants gain hands-on experiences through monthly sessions, site visits, and discussions to foster civic leadership and community engagement. 

Fitchburg State University

Fitchburg State University is offering a Certificate in Dementia Crisis specifically designed to help professionals in a variety of areas of care learn how to respond effectively to a dementia-related situation, including EMS, hospital professionals, direct caregivers, and law enforcement. 

Massachusetts Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office - GrantWell

GrantWell is a first-of-its-kind AI-powered tool to assist communities with applying for grants. It is designed to simplify the process of seeking grant opportunities, understanding their requirements, and writing applications. The tool is free to all Massachusetts communities.

© 2026 The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts