Boston Alliance for Community Health

Initiatives and Activities

"When you add us all up, BACH's membership is in the thousands. Some of us are from the neighborhood and some of us are from an organization. We may not always agree on everything, but in the end, we all want the same thing: safe and healthy communities."

News

Take Action to Protect “Let’s Get Healthy Boston!” Funding

Since you have been following BACH this past year, you know about the Healthy Community Champions (HCCs) program we have developed. With funding to 12 community-based organizations, we have recruited and trained 75 residents from 9 of Boston’s neighborhoods most in need of health improvement strategies to address the most common causes of chronic illness: smoking and second-hand smoke, lack of physical activity and poor nutrition. We are calling this campaign, Let’s Get Healthy, Boston!

Let’s Get Healthy, Boston!‘s  HHCs, along with their manager here at BACH, Tamika R. Francis, and numerous staff at the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) are all supported financially through a three year federal grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Partnerships Improving Community Health (PICH).”

Unfortunately, the FY 16 budgets developed by the House and Senate Labor, Education and Health Committees do not include funding for the third year of PICH.

This is where we need your help…

Please email, write, and/or call your Senators and Congressional Representative urging them to include funding for PICH in the FY 16 budget.

You can download a sample letter provided here or you can write or call in your own words.

Senator Elizabeth Warren
Paste your letter into the form here and/or mail a hard copy letter to:
Senator Elizabeth Warren
317 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-4543

Senator Edward Markey
Click here, select “Health” from the drop down menu and complete the form and/or send the hard copy letter to:
Senator Edward Markey
255 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2742

Representative Michael Capuano

Paste your letter into the form here and/or mail a hard copy letter to:
Office of Congressman Michael E. Capuano
1414 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: (202) 225-5111Representative Stephen Lynch
Paste your letter into the form here and/or mail a hard copy letter to:
Representative Stephen Lynch
2369 Rayburn HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: (202) 225-8273

If you live outside of Boston or Massachusetts, you can find contact information for your Senators here and your Congressperson here.

Failure by Congress to include funding for PICH in the FY16 appropriations measures would be shortsighted.  We know these investments will pay dividends in the long run through healthier communities and reduced health costs in Boston and in the 38 other communities around the nation who have begun similar activities through this grant.

Many thanks for your continued support of and advocacy for the work of BACH’s many members.