The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is one of the six New England states in the northeastern part of the United States and is bordered by Connecticut and Rhode Island to the south and New Hampshire and Vermont to its north. The name Massachusetts comes from the name of an Algonquian tribe that means "at or about the great hill" or "land of the blue hills." Massachusetts enjoys varied topography from the rocky shores, sandy beaches, and salt marshes of the coast, through rolling hills and fertile valleys, to lofty wooded mountains. Massachusetts is known for its largest city, Boston, but it is also known for its picturesque small rural towns, historic villages, beautiful mountains and river valleys and gorgeous sea coast.
Massachusetts covers 7,840 square miles, with a 2010 population estimate from the U.S. Census Bureau of 6,547,629 people - 26,707 of which live in rural areas. The eastern part of the state is mostly urban and suburban comprised of the City of Boston, the surrounding metro-Boston area, and a number of secondary and their surrounding areas. However, rural communities are located in central and western Massachusetts except for the immediate areas of Worcester and Springfield and in the coastal areas of the southeastern part of the state.
Massachusetts shares the governmental structure known as strong New England town governance with the five other New England States, as well as with New York and New Jersey. The state is known for its town-by-town local governance and its commitment to community participation in civic matters through local town-wide meetings. Generally speaking, New England states do not have as active a county government system as compared to the rest of the nation. Though the counties still remain as geographical regions, the state legislature abolished the county governments of eight of the 14 counties between the years 1997 and 2000.
According to the Massachusetts State Office of Rural Health (Nov. 2011), there are 70 acute care hospitals in Massachusetts, 12 of which are located in rural areas. The state has 3 hospitals certified as Critical Access Hospitals (Nov. 2011). There is 1 Rural Health Clinic in Massachusetts (Kaiser, 2011). There are 33 community health centers providing services at 317 sites (Kaiser, 2009). Of these, 6 community health center organizations are providing services at 10 sites in rural communities.
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources
http://masschip.state.ma.us/; http://maps.massgis.state.ma.us/censustown/pages/main.jsp; U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts; Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts; Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
Organizations
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation (BCBSMA)
Nonprofit/Foundation
The BCBSM Foundation is the philanthropic affiliate of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.
Community Partners, Inc.
State/regional organization
Helps people in Massachusetts get health care coverage.
Executive Office of Transportation and Construction
State government
Provides resources regarding transportation in Massachusetts.
HUD Community Development Block Grants: Massachusetts
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
Local Public Health Institute of Massachusetts
State/regional organization
Strengthens the capacity of Massachusetts' local boards of health through workforce education, leadership training, and promoting strategic alliances.
Massachusetts Area Health Education Center (AHEC)
State/regional organization
Addresses the concern of health disparities in the Commonwealth with a focus on health workforce development.
Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP)
State/regional organization
The Massachusetts Association for Community Action (MASSCAP) is a statewide association of the 25 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) operating in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Association of Health Boards
State/regional organization
Works to strengthen public health in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection
State government
Is a place to find out about environmental matters in your community, to conduct business on-line with MassDEP through the Service Center, and to participate directly in the environmental protection work.
Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development
State government
Offers programs, housing and funding to communities to serve those with low to moderate incomes.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
State government
Serves all the people in the Commonwealth, particularly the underserved, and promotes healthy people, healthy families, healthy communities and healthy environments through compassionate care, education and prevention.
Massachusetts Department of Revenue Child Support Enforcement
State government
To protect the economic well-being of children by enforcing the financial responsibilities of parenthood.
Massachusetts Division of Health Care Finance and Policy
State government
The Mission of the Division is to improve the delivery and financing of health care by providing information, developing policies, and promoting efficiencies that benefit the people of Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance
State government
The MassHealth program provides comprehensive health insurance-or help in paying for private health insurance-to nearly one million Massachusetts children, families, seniors, and people with disabilities.
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services
State government
Works to improve the health of Massachusetts residents.
Massachusetts Hospital Association (MHA)
State/regional organization
A voluntary, not-for-profit organization comprised of hospitals and health systems, related organizations, and other members with a common interest in promoting the health of the people of the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
State/regional organization
Exists to provide leadership to their membership in achieving their goals and to promote accessible, quality, community-responsive health care.
Massachusetts Office of Primary Care
State government
The Bureau of Family and Community Health supports a number of programs and activities designed to promote the availability of affordable, high quality systems of primary health care throughout the Commonwealth.
Massachusetts Office of Rural Health
State government
A component of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health which collects and disseminates information on rural health; coordinates resources and activities within rural communities; provides technical assistance for planning and development; strengthens local, state, and federal partnerships; and administers the Massachusetts Rural Hospital Flex and the SHIP programs.
Massachusetts Partnership for Healthy Communities
State/regional organization
Is a program of The Medical Foundation and is funded by the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
Massachusetts Public Health Association
State/regional organization
Is a statewide membership organization of people working to protect the health and safety of all the Commonwealth's residents.
Massachusetts Regional Extension Center
State/regional organization
Massachusetts State Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center (REC) that helps health care providers become meaningful users of electronic health records by providing information and technical assistance.
Massachusetts State Government
State government
Lists state agencies and state online services.
Massachusetts State Legislature
State government
Provides information about Senate and House Leadership.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, New England Region (NN/LM-NER)
State/regional organization
Supports collaboration among 16 regional libraries and over 500 library and information centers in the states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
New England Rural Health RoundTable (NERHRT)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Composed of a diverse group of individuals and organizations committed to improving health and health care throughout rural New England communities. Serves as a regional rural health advocate for Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont.
Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD)
State/regional organization
One of four regional rural development centers in the nation. Focuses on rural issues including community and economic development, food systems, natural resources, and entrepreneurship. Serves a 12 state area in the Northeast region which includes CT, DE, MA, NJ, NY, RI, PA, WV, NH, ME, MD, VT.
Resources for Communities and People Solutions
State/regional organization
Helps support rural community infrastructure in the northeastern United States.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: Massachusetts (HUD)
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
USDA Rural Development State Office: Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
ERS State Fact Sheet: Massachusetts
Web site
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
Massachusetts Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
Massachusetts KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
Massachusetts QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
Massachusetts State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: Massachusetts
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
NN/LM New England Region: Massachusetts Resources
Web site
Overview of the state and provides links to state agencies, health associations, and other resources for residents of Massachusetts.
Preparedness and Emergency Response Learning Centers (PERLC)
Web site
Comprised of 14 accredited schools of public health that serve in a national capacity to meet preparedness and response training and education needs of the U. S. public health workforce. Funded schools are located in AL, AZ, FL, IA, IL, MA, MD, MN, NY, OK, NC, TX, and WA.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Aiming Higher for Health System Performance: A Profile of Seven States That Perform Well on the Commonwealth Fund’s 2009 State Scorecard
Author(s): Greg Moody, Sharon Silow-Carroll
Sponsoring organization: Commonwealth Fund
Demonstrates that high levels of health system performance are achievable and sustainable, and provides useful examples of policies and practices in Vermont, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, and Delaware that may be associated with health system improvement.
Date: 10 / 2009
Changing Faces of New England: Increasing Spatial and Racial Diversity
Author(s): Keneth M. Johnson
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Discusses racial diversity in New England. Includes information about rural or Nonmetropolitan New England.
Date: 2008
Critical Care, Critical Choices: The Case for Tele-ICUs in Intensive Care
Describes telemedicine and intensive care units (ICUs) and the potential to address critical care staffing shortages.
Date: 12 / 2010
Demographic and Economic Profile: Massachusetts
Author(s): Kathleen K. Miller
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses demographic and economic data including population, race, education, age, poverty, income, and more. Includes maps and graphics.
Date: 2008
Hospital Performance Measurement in Rural New England: Recommendations for Improvement
Sponsoring organization: New England Rural Health RoundTable
Serves as the foundation for developing a set of useful quality indicators and measures that Critical Access Hospitals in New England can use.
Date: 03 / 2010
Small Business Profile: Massachusetts
Sponsoring organization: Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 02 / 2011
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Success Stories
Moving Beyond Enrollment
This network was formed to support experienced community-based outreach workers in providing the follow-up necessary to educate Medicaid clients, help them solve problems, and utilize the health care system most effectively in order to receive health care.
EMS Co-op Helps Rural Providers
Using the power of group purchasing within a cooperative structure, the North Central EMS Cooperative (NCEMSC) is an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) cooperative developed to serve Minnesota and surrounding states.
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