Community Benefits Program

In Massachusetts, nonprofit hospitals like Holy Family are required to have a Community Benefits Program as part of our commitment to fulfilling our tax-exempt status. This requirement ensures that HFH contributes to the public good beyond our primary role of providing health care services locally to all who need these services. The HFH Community Benefits Program is designed to address broader community health needs, support public health initiatives, and improve overall health outcomes across our service area, and is tailored to the needs and priorities that emerge from each CHNA such as chronic diseases, mental health needs, access to care for underserved populations, and health disparities.

The Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) oversee and regulate the Community Benefits Program.

Hospital Sponsorship
Sponsorships are an important part of the hospital’s Community Benefits Program. HFH endeavors to make a set amount of funding available each year to support organizations working to impact social determinants of health (SDOH) in the Merrimack Valley such as housing, food insecurity, economic insecurity, health literacy, care access, transportation, and more.

Some sponsorships are awarded to support an organization’s annual meeting or gala, and others are awarded to support a specific project focused on SDOH. Please note that funding allocated to sponsorships is extremely limited and the amounts available vary from year to year, with awards varying from $250 to $10,000. Sponsorship funds are made available at the beginning of each fiscal year, which runs from October 1 to September 30. If you would like to apply for a hospital sponsorship, please complete an application BY CLICKING HERE and submit to communitysponsorships@lawrencegeneral.org.

Community Benefits Advisory Council (CBAC)
The CBAC is a crucial part of our Community Benefits program required by the state of Massachusetts. HFH is extremely fortunate to have close, collaborative community partnerships and active community participation in our CBAC. The following are currently represented on our CBAC alongside our Executive and Clinical leaders:

• Greater Lawrence Family Health Center
• City of Lawrence Public Health Department
• City of Lawrence Police Department
• City of Lawrence Mayor’s Health Task Force
• Lawrence Methuen Community Coalition
• City of Methuen Public Health Department
• City of Andover Public Health Department
• Beth Israel Lahey Hospital Behavioral Health Services/CBHC
• Agespan
• Lawrence Community Works
• Groundwork Lawrence
• Greater Lawrence Community Action Council
• Family Services of the Merrimack Valley
• Andover Public Schools
• Merrimack College

If you or your organization would like to become involved in our CBAC, please email us at communitysponsorships@lawrencegeneral.org and tell us about yourself, your organization, and your interest in the hospital’s community benefit program.