St. Catherine’s lands $522K grant to support local residents

ALBANY — St. Catherine’s Center for Children has recently been awarded a grant from the Momentum 3 Capacity Building Fund, totaling $522,210 from Healthy Alliance to support the agency’s Access360 Program. This grant will allow Access360 to address health disparities and improve the overall health of thousands of Medicaid recipients in the Capital Region by providing health-related social needs (HRSN) services. St. Catherine’s Center for Children was granted this funding for its commitment to cultivating a healthier community.

Access360 aims to help individuals on Medicaid improve their overall well-being by addressing social drivers of health before they turn into serious and costly medical issues. By connecting clients with essential, health-related social needs services, the program fosters prevention and improves the health of all community members. Program services include care management, nutrition assistance, tenancy support and transportation to and from essential appointments.

“Since its inception one year ago, Access360 has been a lifeline to so many Medicaid recipients in our area,” said Kevin Doherty, executive director of St. Catherine’s Center for Children. “These funds allow us to continue delivering critical social services to our most vulnerable populations. Our program addresses the many root causes, related to poverty, that create very serious and often expensive health issues before they reach that critical point. By addressing social drivers of health, we improve the overall well-being of these individuals, keeping them out of the hospital while also helping to keep taxpayer-funded Medicaid costs down. This grant will allow our program to continue helping people for years to come.”

One of the reasons individuals, particularly those on Medicaid, do not receive necessary services is a lack of transportation. Access360 provides clients with transportation to important medical and mental health appointments, job interviews, housing appointments and more. Additionally, homelessness and housing insecurity play a major role in declining health in low-income and impoverished individuals. Tenancy support services through Access360 can provide temporary emergency assistance to clients to help cover rent, security deposits, utilities and other costs related to tenancy. This support can keep individuals and families from being evicted and put out on the street. This new grant funding helps to cover these costs while allowing St. Catherine’s to hire additional staff to handle a larger caseload.

Access360 will also provide nutrition assistance services including food pantries, meal delivery, medically tailored meals, nutritional counseling and education. Care managers facilitate communication and support clients by addressing multiple factors that influence health and can prevent unnecessary hospitalizations.

“Access360 has been a benchmark for advancing health equity and eliminating health disparities throughout the community,” said Erica Schwartz, associate executive director of Community-Based Programs at St. Catherine’s Center for Children. “This funding provides us with the resources to continue addressing larger issues, such as stable housing, reliable transportation and medical care, before residents are forced to step into an emergency room.”

Access360 is currently offered to residents on Medicaid who reside in Albany, Columbia, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady or Schoharie counties.