Benefiting Our Community: Keeping Us Healthy

Cooley Dickinson encourages healthy lifestyle choices by helping to make the healthy choice the easier choice. We work with community partners to promote environments that support health including infrastructure, policy, health equity, and economic and social conditions. We provide educational outreach and support initiatives to improve access to health care for vulnerable populations.

How Healthy Are We?

Helping local residents live healthier lives and access key services is central to Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s mission. Every three years, we conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The assessment helps us better understand local health needs and priorities so that we can plan programs and community health interventions.

Cooley Dickinson Hospital’s most recent Community Health Needs Assessment was conducted in 2025. Read the full report.

Current and Previous Reports

• 2025 Community Health Implementation Plan
• 2022-2025 Community Health Implementation Plan
• Community Health Needs Assessment (2022)
• Community Health Needs Assessment (2019)
• 2019-2022 Community Health Implementation Plan

Grants to Advance Community Health Priorities in Community Hospital Service Area

Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH) is accepting applications for one-time grants to advance community health priorities in CDH’s service area. Funds are intended to support community-based organizations to address health priorities identified in CDH’s Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) in communities served by CDH, particularly those who have been historically underserved and/or economically, socially, culturally, or racially marginalized.

Funding Guidelines:

• Projects must align with one or more of the priorities below selected from the hospital’s overall CHIP priorities, goals and objectives (see Table 1 below).
• Projects must prioritize geographical regions outlined in the hospital’s CHNA.
• Awards will range from $10,000 – $20,000, with a period of performance from September 1, 2026-August 31, 2027.
• Organizations must complete the linked application form, including a brief description of the proposed project, populations to be served, measurable objectives to be achieved, and the specific amount of funding requested.
• Grantees will be expected to submit a report at the conclusion of the funding period that includes a description of meaningful progress made toward the project’s goals, as proposed in the initial application. A template will be provided for this purpose.
• Only an abbreviated budget proposal is required to apply for funding; however, grantees will be asked to include in their annual report a brief description of how funds were used.
• Funding may be used for programming and initiatives, personnel, transportation support (up to 50% of total request), supplies and equipment (up to 50% of total request), and technology systems to support community health improvements.
• Funding may not be used for expenses not directly related to project goals, expenses incurred prior to award, cash or cash equivalents, corporate events or sponsorships, political or religious activities, or billable clinical services.

Table 1: Selected CHIP Priorities

Please submit applications by August 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM by filling out the electronic application form.

Selected CHIP Priorities
Category: Social and Economic Determinants of Health
Priorities: Housing, Access to Healthy Food/Food Security

Questions can be directed to ahoffer-schaefer@mgb.org and must include the e-mail subject line “Question: Cooley Dickinson Community Health Grant”.