mehaf

The Maine Health Access Foundation (MeHAF) has awarded a grant to Redington-Fairview General Hospital (RFGH), on behalf of the Somerset County Chambers of Commerce Wellness Council. The grant will provide funding for the Wellness Council to make pro active health care more responsive to small business needs. Many small business employers and employees are adversely affected by lack of insurance or access to primary care as well as by the lack of health promotion and wellness resources that bigger companies can provide. The Somerset Chambers Wellness Council, in partnership with their small businesses and community health care providers, works to develop solutions to overcome this problem.

The grant will fund support for 10 small businesses in Norridgewock and Jackman, to implement best practices for worksite health promotion; as well as to conduct focus groups with employers, employees and health care providers to learn more about the health care issues they face, and how to address those issues. Business tool kits will be created for the Chambers, and lessons learned from this work will be made available to other Chambers across the state.

If you are a small business in Norridgewock or Jackman, with 10 or less employees, and would like to know more about being a pilot site for the grant, or if you are a Somerset County business or health care provider wanting more information about the focus groups, call Somerset Heart Health at 474-7473. Council membership costs a business $2.00 per person for up to 100 employees and $200 for businesses of 100 or more employees.

Founded in 2000, MeHAF promotes expanding access to comprehensive, high quality health care in Maine, particularly for people who are uninsured and medically underserved. Visit www.mehaf.org for more information.