Community Impact

Related Resources

Community Health Initiatives

We strive to address the health and social needs within the communities we serve. Our community health initiatives include:

Community Events

We sponsor community events that raise funds and awareness towards efforts to foster safer and healthier neighborhoods. See our calendar for upcoming and recorded events.

Community Benefits

In 2021, Baystate Health hospitals provided over $153 million in unreimbursed care, research, and educational programs in accordance with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) community benefit guidelines. A detailed report of each hospital’s community benefits activities is filed every year with the IRS and Massachusetts Attorney General's Office. Every three years, Baystate Health also conducts Community Health Needs Assessments (CHNA) and develops Strategic Implementation Plans unique to each hospital to address community health issues.

Community Investments

Baystate Health receives numerous requests for funding on a rolling cycle to support community events and programmatic initiatives that address needs identified in the CHNAs. Access both of these applications. The Better Together Grant Program offers multi-year grants through a Request for Proposals (RFP) process in order to support community health initiatives. This funding is episodic and is not guaranteed as an offering each year.

Baystate Springfield Educational Partnership (BSEP)

The BSEP program offers high school students a variety of hospital-based learning experiences and opportunities to explore different careers, engage in more comprehensive observation experiences, and prepare for potential internship or employment opportunities.

Safe Disposal of Sharps and Expired Medicines

Baystate Medical Center offers a way for the public to safely dispose of needles and sharps and unneeded or expired medications. You can safely dispose of needles and medications using containers in the Daly lobby at Baystate Medical Center – 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Baystate Health’s commitment to ensuring that all caregivers and all patients are welcome has been at the heart of our organization for more than 140 years. Our Mission, Vision and Values will always be a touchstone and directional guide for this essential and strengthening work.

We define our value of respect as honoring the dignity of all people. We know that honoring the dignity of our inclusive workforce leads to innovative thinking and cultural humility in the care of our patients.

Our vision is to integrate equity and inclusion into every part of our work—from patient care to workplace culture—so that everyone experiences a sense of belonging and the chance to reach their fullest potential.

We achieve this through:

Health Equity

We are committed to ensuring that every patient receives high-quality, compassionate care - welcoming every member of our community with fairness, respect, and belonging. By identifying and addressing disparities in health outcomes, access, and experience, we work to deliver care that is not only clinically excellent but also equitable and responsive to the unique needs of every individual we serve. We are equally focused on removing barriers to care—so that healthcare is accessible, welcoming, and within reach for all members of our community.

Workforce & Pipeline

As an economic pillar of the community, Baystate Health is committed to creating opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds to grow and thrive. We offer a range of career pipeline programs designed to help team members advance professionally and build long-term economic stability. In addition, we support our caregivers in planting roots and investing in their futures through initiatives like our first-time homebuyer program—because when our team members flourish, our communities also do.

Community Impact & Social Justice

We are proud to partner with our communities to support the conditions that help people live healthier lives. By addressing social drivers of health and supporting local initiatives, we strengthen the well-being of families and neighborhoods across our region. This includes factors such as being able to access healthy food, information on health and digital resources, and social support networks. We work to address this through initiatives such as the Alliance for Digital Equity, which works collectively with 100+ community-based organizations to deploy digital equity programs including digital navigation skills training, device distribution, and affordable Internet solutions in order to assure equitable Internet access to all.

Inclusivity & Belonging – Learning Development

At Baystate Health, we believe that building a more inclusive and equitable culture starts with a shared commitment to learning. We create space for honest conversations, thoughtful reflection, and ongoing growth—so that every team member feels empowered to better understand themselves, their colleagues, and the communities we serve. Through training, dialogue, and continuous development, we foster cultural humility, deepen empathy, and strengthen our ability to provide compassionate, respectful care for all. Because when we learn together, we grow together—and that growth moves us all forward.

Strategic Plan & Executive Summaries

Strategic Plan Summaries

In our strategic plans, we share:

  • What our hospitals hope to achieve related to health equity
  • How our hospitals incorporate member and community voices into our health equity strategic planning and implementation efforts

Executive Summaries

Serving the Needs of Our Community

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