Health Imperatives has responded to the growing need for immigrant services on Cape Cod with a new initiative called Partnering for Progress. Approximately 40% of Health Imperatives’ Cape Cod clients are immigrants, the majority of whom are un- or under-insured. The program creates a more robust and sustainable strategy for ongoing engagement with their immigrant clients, allowing them to fully utilize Health Imperatives’ services and follow up on supportive referrals for other key resources with greater ease, access, and efficiency.
Earlier this year, Health Imperatives received a challenge grant from the Fish Family Foundation of $50,000 a year for three years. The organization subsequently raised an additional $75,000 in matching from the Cape Cod Foundation, the Lyndon Paul Lorusso Charitable Foundation, the Kelley Foundation, the Cape Cod 5 Foundation, and The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod Charitable Foundation Trust.
“This initiative addresses the unique challenges that immigrants face on the Cape,” noted Larry Fish, Chairman of the Fish Family Foundation. “Partnering for Progress brings together a broad array of community partners, funders, and others to make existing systems work better for everyone. We are delighted with the leadership and creativity of Health Imperatives and with the collaboration between organizations working to build a strong network to support Cape Cod’s immigrants.”
Health Imperatives recently hired a bi-lingual Access and Resource Coordinator to conduct in-depth needs assessments with immigrant clients that will be used to develop tailored care plans. She will also help immigrants access Health Imperatives’ programs, obtain emergency funding, and locate resources such as ESOL classes and employment and housing opportunities. She will also serve as liaison to other immigrant-serving organizations in Hyannis.
Partnering for Progress plans to form a working group comprised of at least four area nonprofits to spearhead a new, collaborative approach for connecting immigrant communities to vital resources and for delivering culturally sensitive health care and social services to immigrants.
The final components of the initiative include a series of three two-hour trainings for leaders of other Cape Cod nonprofits to improve their own immigrant services, as well as a half-day immigrant services fair put on by the Partnering for Progress working group to convey essential information to immigrants and help them establish connections with a wide variety of local service organizations. The semiannual fair will offer health screenings, information about food assistance programs, opportunities to sign up for ESOL and citizenship classes and workshops in financial literacy, and assistance with job applications and resume coaching.
Given the widening wealth gap and increased cost of living on the Cape, Partnering for Progress offers a collaborative, strength-based initiative to mitigate health disparities on Cape Cod.
“Partnering for Progress provides a blueprint for changing the way government funds and supports communities with diverse needs,” noted Health Imperatives’ President & CEO Julia Kehoe. “We are excited to lead this important initiative and transform the standard of care for the Cape’s immigrant communities.” She continued, “This would not be possible without the support of the Fish Family Foundation and other partners who recognize the health and wealth disparities among our state’s immigrant population and want to make meaningful change by providing access to programs and services to help them not just survive but thrive.”
