The beginning of 2016 marks the start of my sixth year as Director at BACH. We have gone through tremendous changes in these five years:

• BACH’s Steering Committee expanded to include a broader array of community-based and health organizations in recognition of the importance of addressing the social determinants of health. It is now comprised of a majority of people of color, reflecting the population of Boston.
• The Health Planning and Improvement Committee chose the Mobilizing for Action through Planning and Partnership process which engaged over 2000 people and resulted in a plan for improving the health of residents with an emphasis on equity that has become part of the City of Boston’s community health improvement plan.
• The Community Investment Committee designed a process for soliciting proposals for funding through BACH that supported the MAPP process and, in the past year, has funded some groundbreaking initiatives addressing the strategic issues including equity, leadership development, clinical and prevention integration, trauma and resilience, and social determinants policy and practice to improve health outcomes. BACH distributed over $200,000 in grants to community coalitions and organizations in the past 18 months, and over one million dollars over the past 5 years.
• BACH staff and volunteers have been active “Planning Partners” in priority-setting and decision-making processes to distribute Boston hospitals’ Community Health Initiative funds to community-based organizations throughout Boston, including the development of an on-line game, “What Matters for Health” that engaged over 900 people to assist Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s process.
• BACH is an active partner with Mass Public Health Association in advocating for public health policies through their Act FRESH campaign and with a cross-organization group advocating for certification and sustainable funding for Community Health Workers
• BACH worked with Roxbury organizations and residents to address diabetes prevention and management through Roxbury Rising Against Diabetes.
• BACH is partnering with the Boston Public Health Commission on a 3 year federal grant to address causes of chronic illness, called Let’s Get Healthy, Boston!. Ten community coalitions and organizations recruited 75 residents whom we trained and are now working in Boston’s neighborhoods to increase the number of smoke-free housing units, improve access to healthy beverages and food, and generate more opportunities for safe walking and biking (including a Safe Routes to School program with 26 elementary and middle schools).
• The Community Engagement and Membership Committee held informative health related forums in neighborhoods around the city and produced a wonderful 7 minute video, “Boston: Making the Connections” which explains the importance of achieving health equity and addressing social determinants of health in order to achieve our vision of a healthy Boston. See here: https://www.youtube.com.
• The Racial Equity Committee coordinated a multi-month consultation and training for BACH leadership on racism and ways to improve BACH’s functioning to achieve racial equity.

I invite you to read about some of these issues in this newsletter and to explore our website at www.bostonalliance.org , “like” us on Facebook, “follow” us on Twitter and contact us about ways you and your organization can join our collective efforts. May the next year bring us renewed hope that, together, we can build an equitable, just, and healthy community.

David Aronstein, MSW

Director