In 2019, HEAL Winchendon partners reached out to Dr. Santos for assistance developing a health equity intervention based partially on lessons learned from Empowerment Economics. The HEAL Winchendon coalition’s work began formally in 2020, funded by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s Moving Massachusetts Upstream (MassUP) Investment Program, with Dr. Santos’ team as evaluators.
The HEAL Winchendon coalition prioritized the social determinants of health of economic empowerment, food access/justice, and social inclusion, in part because of social conflict around public assistance and racism that bubbled up in the region as new immigrants moved to the area. The Leah Zallman Center is conducting a developmental evaluation looking at how the growth of social, financial, and community assets improve the health and well-being of Winchendon residents and create a more welcoming and inclusive community for new migrants.