The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108-4619
MAURA T. HEALEY KATHLEEN E. WALSH
Governor Secretary
KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL ROBERT GOLDSTEIN, MD, PhD
Lieutenant Governor Commissioner
Tel: 617-624-6000
www.mass.gov/MDPH
September 17, 2024
Steven T. James
House Clerk
State House Room 145
Boston, MA 02133
Michael D. Hurley
Senate Clerk
State House Room 335
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Mr. Clerk,
Pursuant to Chapter 111 Section 2J, please find enclosed a report from the Department of Public Health
entitled “Public Health Grant Trust Fund Report 2023.”
Sincerely,
Robert Goldstein, MD, PhD
Commissioner
Department of Public Health
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 Public Health Grant Trust Fund Report 2023
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Executive Summary
The Public Health Trust was established to allow the Department of Public Health (MDPH) to participate
in competitive grant opportunities with nonprofit partners. This provides MDPH with the ability to
pursue funding opportunities that were previously impossible. Prior to the establishment of the Trust,
there was no mechanism to accept private foundation funds in a timely manner and no mechanism to
serve as a subcontract for a research grant. In particular, the establishment of this Trust is proving to be
beneficial to MDPH and its academic/medical partners because it has supported opportunities around
surveillance and data sharing so state public health data can be utilized for a variety of purposes to
inform approaches for addressing current and emerging priorities.
Since the last reporting period, January - December 2022, MDPH has received funding for three new
subcontracts that are administered through the Public Health Trust from the following organizations:
• American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology: $20,000
• Council of State & Territorial Epidemiologists: $199,946
• Association of Public Health Laboratories $80,000
MDPH also received two ad credit in-kind awards from Google valued at up to $495,000 for public
health-related public service announcement campaigns and campaign launch support.
In addition, of the fourteen grants and subcontracts administered through the Public Health Trust that
were funded in the prior reporting period, eleven continued to be funded in 2023 while three
concluded.
Finally, MDPH is actively pursuing two new subcontracts that are pending award.
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Legislative Mandate
The following report is hereby issued pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 111, Section 2J –
Section 2J. There shall be a Public Health Grant Trust Fund. The commissioner shall administer
the fund to collaborate with nonprofit organizations to participate in competitive grant
opportunities that further the mission of the department.
There shall be credited to the fund money received from public and private sources to support
public health competitive grant opportunities. Amounts credited to the fund shall not be subject
to further appropriation. Money remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not revert
to the General Fund and shall be available for expenditure in subsequent fiscal years.
Annually, not later than January 1, the commissioner shall report on the activities of the fund to
the clerks of the house of representatives and senate and to the chairs of the house and senate
committees on ways and means. The report shall include: (i) an accounting of money received by
the fund broken down by funding source; (ii) a description of the competitive grant opportunities
and whether a competitive grant opportunity is in collaboration or partnership with a nonprofit
organization; (iii) an accounting of money expended from the fund broken down by recipient; (iv)
the amount of any unexpended balance; and (v) a description of anticipated competitive grant
opportunities applied or expected to be applied to in the upcoming calendar year and whether
the competitive grant opportunity is in collaboration or partnership with a nonprofit
organization.
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 New Opportunities Awarded in 2023 Through the Public Health Trust
Title Amount Project Period Subcontract Prime Award Recipient or
Partnership/ Funder of Contract
Collaboration
with a non-
profit
Alliance for Innovation on $20,000 9/30/2023- Yes American College of Obstetrics
Maternal Health (AIM) 8/31/2024 and Gynecology (ACOG)
Patient Safety Bundles funded by the Health
Technical Assistance Resources and Services
Program Administration (HRSA)
Longitudinal Surveillance of $199,946 08/01/2023- Yes Council of State & Territorial
Infants born with Neonatal 7/31/2024 Epidemiologists (CSTE), funded
Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC)
Influenza Sequencing Center $80,000 06/07/2023- Yes Association for Public Health
Project 06/30/2024 Laboratories (APHL) – CDC
funded
Google.Org In-Kind Ads Up to 12/7/2023 – No Google LLC
Public Service $495,000 6/30/2024
Announcement Program in ad
credits
Descriptions of New Projects:
Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Patient Safety Bundles Technical Assistance
Program: AIM is a national data-driven maternal safety and quality improvement initiative based on
interdisciplinary consensus-based practices to improving maternal safety and outcomes. The program
provides implementation and data support for the adoption of evidence-based patient safety bundles.
AIM works through state teams and health systems to align national, state, and hospital level
engagement efforts to improve overall maternal health outcomes. Alliance for Innovation on Maternal
Health (AIM) | ACOG
Longitudinal Surveillance of Infants born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS): MDPH will
expand their CSTE NAS surveillance implementation pilot project by exploring the feasibility of
longitudinal surveillance among infants born with NAS. This feasibility assessment will be in the form of
a report which identifies data resources, assesses opportunities and barriers, and determines resources
and permissions needed. NCBDDD’s Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Surveillance Activities | About Us |
NCBDDD | CDC
Influenza Sequencing Center (ISC) Project: The Association for Public Health Laboratories (APHL),
funded by the CDC, seeks to establish and provide next generation sequencing. The ISC will provide close
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 to real-time NGS data for influenza A and B utilizing APHL’s AIMS cloud-based environment for data
transfer and analysis. Influenza Sequencing Center (aphl.org)
Google.Org In-Kind Ads Public Service Announcement Program Google LLC is providing In-Kind Ad
Credits to MDPH through the Google.Org In-Kind Ads Public Service Announcement Program valued
up to $475,000 USO to be used by June 30, 2024, and previously accepted Campaign Launch Support
valued at up to $20,000 to be used by June 30, 2024. Ad credits will be utilized to support MDPH
advertising related to mental health and online safety services.
Opportunities awarded 2019-2022 through the Public Health Trust that continued in 2023
Title Amount Project Period Subcontract Prime Award Recipient
Partnership/
Collaboration
with a non-
profit
HEALing Communities $3,896,635.00 4/17/2019 – Yes Boston Medical Center – NIH
Study 3/31/2024 funded
MA Justice Community $883,533.00 09/01/2019 – Yes Baystate Medical Center – NIH
Opioid Network 8/31/2025 funded
(JCOIN)
MA/Region 1 $500,000.00 09/30/2019 - Yes Massachusetts General
Partnership for 09/29/2024 Hospital -
Regional Health ASPR funded
Disaster Response
Prevention Policy $391,420.00 01/01/2020- Yes Stanford University – NIH
Modeling Lab 9/29/2024 funded
NAS Standardized $249,895.00 03/06/2020- Yes Council of State and
Surveillance Case 12/31/2023 Territorial Epidemiologists
Definition (CSTE)- CDC funded
Implementation
Project
Reducing Racial $149,018.00 09/17/2020 – Yes Tufts University – CDC funded
Disparities in SMM post 06/30/2024
COVID19: Assessing the
integration of maternal
safety bundles and
community-based
doulas to improve
outcomes for Black
women
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Predict to Prevent $105,028.00 05/15/2022- Yes Tufts University – NIH, NIDA
03/31/2024 funded
Linking PRAMS and $135,000.00 4/30/2022 – Yes Association of State and
Clinical Outcomes Data 7/31/2023 Territorial Health Officials
Multi-Jurisdiction (ASTHO)- CDC funded
Learning Community
Partnership to Support $416,399.00 9/1/2022- Yes National Association of City
Leveraging Retail 5/31/2024 and County Health Officials
Health Clinics and (NACCHO) – CDC funded
Pharmacies for STI
Services and Care
(supplement 2023)
Enabling integrated $800,000.00 09/26/2022- Yes Broad Institute – CDC funded
analysis of multi-modal 03/29/2024
data for state
epidemiologists
Early Life Course of $84,897.00 9/30/2022- Yes Boston University – CDC
Children with 9/29/2026 funded
Congenital Structural
Heart Anomalies
Description of Ongoing Projects
HEALing Communities Study: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) launched the HEALing Communities Study (HCS) in
2019 to test the impact of a community-engaged intervention on community-level opioid overdose (OD)
deaths. The study is a multi-site, parallel arm, cluster randomized, wait-list controlled trial. The HCS will
test the impact of a comprehensive, data-driven community response plan to deploy evidence-based
practices (EBPs) across multiple sectors to reduce opioid-related OD deaths.
https://healingcommunitiesstudy.org/
MA Justice Community Opioid Network: MDPH is funded through a subcontract with Baystate Medical
Center to serve as a partner on the federally funded National Institute of Health Justice Community
Opioid Network research grant (JCOIN). The goal of JCOIN is to study approaches to increase high-quality
care for people with opioid misuse and opioid use disorder (OUD) in criminal justice settings. JCOIN will
test strategies to expand effective treatment and care in partnership with local and state justice systems
and community-based treatment providers to generate real-world evidence to address the unique
needs of individuals with OUD in criminal justice settings. https://grantome.com/grant/NIH/UG1-
DA050067-01
MA Region 1 Partnership for Regional Health Disaster Response: MDPH is funded through a
subcontract with the Massachusetts General Hospital under the federal Health and Human Services,
Public Health Emergency Preparedness programming to serve as an implementation partner the
Massachusetts/Region 1 Partnership for Regional Disaster Health Response. This initiative is working to
develop innovative mechanisms that link medical experts in healthcare disaster response with other key
governmental and community partners and stakeholders to improve coordination of planning and
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response activities and enhance patient care during disasters, including COVID-
19.https://www.phe.gov/Preparedness/planning/PDHRCA-FOA/Pages/ma-partnership-rdhr.aspx
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Standardized Surveillance Case Definition Implementation
Project: MDPH was awarded funding through a partnership with the CDC, CSTE, and National Center for
Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDD) to provide a mechanism for state and local public
health organizations or agencies with public health authority to conduct population health surveillance
using the CSTE NAS Standardized Surveillance Case Definition while leveraging existing surveillance
infrastructure. This pilot project is an opportunity for jurisdictions to improve or develop standardized
NAS Surveillance as well as identify key challenges with implementing the case definition in their
jurisdiction. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/birthdefects/cbdrp.html
Reducing Racial Disparities in SMM post COVID19: Assessing the integration of maternal safety
bundles and community-based doulas to improve outcomes for Black women: MDPH was awarded a
subcontract from Tufts University to support efforts to add an additional layer of understanding of
perinatal health and equity and expand health outcomes to look at mental health. Specifically, we will
evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on perinatal health and well-being and the potential for
doulas to mitigate perinatal mood disorders, investigate the impact of structural racism and
discrimination in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic on the health and well-being of persons during
pregnancy and postpartum. RFA-MD-20-008: Addressing Racial Disparities in Maternal Mortality and
Morbidity (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) (nih.gov)
Predict to Prevent: In partnership with Tufts University, MDPH will provide content expertise and data
from the Public Health Data Warehouse with the goal of being better able to describe, discriminate, and
predict the complex, relapsing nature and course of alcohol, tobacco, prescription, and other drug
abuse, as well as further understanding of factors predicting drug and alcohol abuse trajectories,
prevention program effects, and how services can be organized and delivered to improve enrollment,
participation, retention, engagement, adherence and health outcomes. PAR-18-062: Accelerating the
Pace of Drug Abuse Research Using Existing Data (R01 Clinical Trial Optional) (nih.gov)
Prevention Policy Lab: Stanford University is funded by the CDC to create models that improve public
health decision-making in five key areas: HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections,
tuberculosis, and school/adolescent health. MDPH serves as a subrecipient partner to contribute to
development of modeling questions, study design, data acquisition, data analysis, development of
decision tools and publications. https://ppml.stanford.edu/projects
Linking PRAMS and Clinical Outcomes Data Multi-Jurisdiction Learning Community: The Association of
State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), with support from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), launched the second cohort of this project to support states, territories, and
juris