The Greater New Bedford Community Health Center in Wareham has partnered with Southcoast Health to develop a campaign targeting people at risk within the community.

To support the Health Center’s outreach efforts, Southcoast Health has stepped up with a grant of $10,000 to aid the Health Center. This has enabled the center to implement an outreach program concentrating on the care and treatment of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

“With the region’s high rate of chronic disease, one of our goals is to help patients better manage conditions like heart disease and diabetes,” said the Health Center’s licensed clinical social worker, Yvonne Hitchens. “The grant from Southcoast Health made it possible to train a staff member in motivational interviewing, which is a counseling technique meant to help patients find the confidence to make and sustain positive behavioral changes.”

Kathleen Minnock, the Health Center’s site manager in Wareham, explained how the Health Center had benefited one local family. The family moved to Wareham to get away from a situation which was harmful to both mother and children. The Health Center provided the children with immunization so that they could attend school, assisted the family in finding insurance, and addressed the family’s health concerns.

“It’s just one of our many success stories,” Minnock said. “With the support of community partners like Southcoast Health, we can help individuals and families in the community. The need is great, but we are experiencing growth in the number of patients receiving care.”

Southcoast Health awards grants to non-profit organizations that are working to address unmet health needs in the south coast region through its Community Benefits Impact Opportunity Program. In 2016, Southcoast Healthcare invested a total of $18.8 million in community benefits.