Attleboro, MA (janvier 28, 2025) – Sturdy Health today announced the receipt of a 5-year, $500,000 grant from the Attleboro-based Community Health Systems Foundation (CHSF) to expand maternal healthcare and reduce maternal and infant health disparities in the region. The award reinforces Sturdy Health’s commitment to health equity and clinical excellence in maternal and infant care.
“We are incredibly proud of the work we do at Sturdy Health providing expectant and new parents with high-quality and personalized prenatal, birthing, and post-natal experiences,” said Sturdy Health President and CEO Aimee Brewer. “While the health care ecosystem has experienced extraordinary turbulence this past year, Sturdy Health remains a steadfast community partner with over 111 years of experience caring for our community. This landmark grant by CHSF will allow us to continue building on our legacy of generational health in more culturally responsive and clinically excellent ways.”
Sturdy Health’s integrated approach to maternal and infant health means that pre-pregnancy planning, prenatal care, birth, and postnatal care can all be part of a pregnant person’s comprehensive care pathway within the Sturdy Health system. This is unique, as hospital labor and delivery units are increasingly struggling to keep their doors open locally and nationwide due to a combination of financial, demographic, and healthcare system challenges.
“We tailor each pregnancy journey at Sturdy Health to our patients’ individual needs,” said Jeannine Connolly, MD, Chief of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Sturdy Health. “As our community grows and changes, the personalized care we provide must also change to meet those evolving needs. We want every patient to feel supported and experience good health outcomes, regardless of what language they speak, what resources they have, or what level of care they need.”
This transformational grant from Community Health Systems Foundation, the first multi-year and largest ever made by the foundation, will enable Sturdy Health to accelerate its plan to modernize the nursery at Sturdy Memorial Hospital, as well as achieve the Level 1B Continuing Care Nursery designation from the state. The enhanced nursery will empower Sturdy Health’s highly trained medical teams to effectively treat infants with more complex health needs on site.
“Sturdy Health is a pillar of the community delivering on its nonprofit mission to provide compassionate, high-quality care that is improving people’s lives,” said Paul Lenahan, Board President of Community Health Systems Foundation. “It is the depth of their community roots and their uncompromising approach that led us to award them the largest single grant in the history of our organization to advance maternal health equity in our communities.”
In addition to modernizing its nursery, over the course of the 5-year grant period, Sturdy Health will also:
- Empower pregnant patients with certain risk factors to track and monitor their pregnancy from the comfort of their own homes by making at-home monitoring devices available.
- Create a dedicated Maternal Community Navigator role to help connect pregnant people and their families to the healthcare and social services they need to ensure a happy, healthy birthing experience.
- Develop a novel diabetes-maternal health education program with weekly in-person and virtual classes for expectant patients at higher risk of developing gestational diabetes.
While other health systems in the region are reducing or eliminating maternity care, Sturdy Health is expanding its services resulting in a nearly 20% increase in births at Sturdy Memorial Hospital in the past year. The system’s commitment to high-quality maternal care is reflected in private birthing suites for each patient, recruitment of highly regarded OB/GYN physicians, integration of doulas and non-clinical therapies in the birthing experience, and Sturdy Health’s designation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as a “Birthing-Friendly” health system. The enhancements accelerated by this grant complement this commitment and will help ensure more equitable access to maternal and infant care for generations to come.
To learn more about pregnancy and birthing services at Sturdy Health visit www.sturdyhealth.org.
À propos de Sturdy Health
Established on avril 14, 1913, Sturdy Health is an independent, not-for-profit health system comprised of a 126-bed acute care hospital, 26 primary and specialty care medical offices, and an Urgent Care Center dedicated to providing a broad range of healthcare services to communities in Southeastern Massachusetts and neighboring Rhode Island. Sturdy’s mission is to improve the health and well-being of the people in our communities through kindness, compassion, and convenient access to the highest quality care. To learn more about how you can support the mission of Sturdy Health, please visit www.sturdyhealth.org/ways-to-give/.
About Community Health Systems Foundation
The Attleboro (MA)-based Community Health Systems Foundation provides grants to non-profit organizations that enhance the community’s capacity to achieve optimal health, wellness, and quality of life. The Foundation serves 13 communities in southeastern Massachusetts, including Attleboro, Dighton, Easton, Franklin, Foxboro, Mansfield, North Attleboro, Norton, Plainville, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Taunton, and Wrentham, with a focus in the Greater Attleboro area. In 2024, the Foundation distributed $795,000 to 27 organizations. The Sturdy Health grant is the first multi-year award by the CHSF, which is planning to invite additional multi-year grant applications for its 2025 funding round, which begins in février. For more details on 2025 grants, visit chsfoundationma.org/apply-for-2025-grant.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Justine Zilliken | VP, Strategy, Business Development & Public Affairs | Sturdy Health