SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) – State Senator Adam Gomez and State Representative Carlos Gonzalez were outside Baystate Brightwood Health Center this morning celebrating two amendments they helped secure.
Thanks to Gomez and Gonzalez, Baystate Health received a total of $300,000 in earmarked funding that was used for things we had never seen before.
Of the donations, $50,000 was used to support the operation of the Wellness on Wheels bus.
Funds spent on the buses will go towards health screenings and monitoring, preventive health services and outreach, self-care supplies and support staff.
“These buses behind us are extremely helpful in terms of being able to serve underserved areas,” Senator Gomez said.
Kelly Lamas, Mobile Health Equity Program Manager, added, “The message is that we’re trying to build long-term, sustainable, trusting relationships within the community, and I think this bus does that through transparency and embodies Baystate Health’s overall mission of improving the health of our communities with quality and compassion.”
The other budget set aside for Baystate will be used to provide IT enhancements aimed at bridging the digital divide through improving internal IT capabilities, promoting digital literacy in the community and setting the course for a new digital environment in health care.
The big blue bus will focus on health conditions that disproportionately affect urban and rural communities and target economically, racially, culturally and socially marginalized residents.
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Heath Kalb is a reporter who has been part of the 22News team since 2022. Follow Heath on X Heathcarb Check out his biography to see more of his work.