The three-year initiative known as the Amherst Wellbeing Alliance will bring together community members, organizational and governmental stakeholders to create a community-wide plan for health
AMHERST, MA — The Collaborative for Educational Services (CES), in partnership with the Amherst Public Health Department, has received $375,000 over three years to complete a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) for Amherst, Massachusetts. The Amherst Wellbeing Alliance (in Spanish: “Alianza para el Bienestar de Amherst”) will engage the community and strategic partners, collect and analyze data, and identify shared health priorities to improve the wellbeing of people who live and work in Amherst.
Guided by findings from its CHIP planning group, the Amherst Wellbeing Alliance will focus on two priority areas that consistently emerge in community health assessments: food security and mental health, addressed across all populations. The initiative will pay particular attention to immigrant individuals and families, as well as other marginalized groups, examining not only food insecurity and mental health within this population but the broader social, economic, and safety-related factors that shape their overall well-being.
The need is urgent. Local agencies and frontline staff have reported escalating rates of food insecurity over the past two years. At the same time, community organizers report that immigrant communities in Amherst are experiencing the same climate of fear and family separation driven by federal enforcement campaigns that has been documented nationally.
“Coordinated work across sectors in Amherst is essential to using limited resources effectively, building on existing community strengths, and addressing the root causes — not just the symptoms — of poor health outcomes,” noted Kiko Malin, Director of the Amherst Public Health Department.
The CHIP work is being convened by the CES’ Healthy Hampshire program, along with partners representing the Town of Amherst Public Health and Sustainability Departments, the UMass Amherst School of Public Health & Health Sciences, the John P. Musante Health Center, the Amherst Mobile Market, and CES’ SPIFFY Coalition.
Key project deliverables include:
- A comprehensive analysis of existing community health data, paired with targeted data collection to close identified gaps
- Community-informed prioritization of health issues and development of an action plan
- Formation of cross-sector work groups to carry the plan forward
- Implementation of priority projects addressing food security, mental health, and immigrant health
This award is part of a broader statewide investment in community health. On August 28, 2026, Governor Maura Healey announced $17.9 million in grants to 31 community organizations, cities, towns and regional planning commissions to improve health and help people live healthier lives across Massachusetts, funded through the Massachusetts Community Health and Healthy Aging Funds, a collaboration between the Department of Public Health, the Executive Office of Aging & Independence, and Health Resources in Action, Inc. CES’s $375,000 grant was one of eight Community Health Improvement Planning (CHIP) awards made in this round, alongside recipients including the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission, the City of New Bedford Health Department, and the Town of Ware, among others. This marks the fourth round of funding through The Funds, which has invested $63 million in community health initiatives statewide through 113 organizations and communities since its 2020 launch.
Through the Amherst Wellbeing Alliance, CES and the Amherst Public Health Department aim to establish a durable, inclusive coalition infrastructure — one equipped to respond to Amherst’s most pressing health needs today and adapt to emerging challenges in the years ahead.
For more information, please contact:
Kiko Malin, MPH, MSW
Public Health Director
Town of Amherst
(413) 259-3241
malink@amherstma.gov
Clarke Bankert, MPH
Co-Director, Department of Healthy Families and Communities
Collaborative for Educational Services
(413) 239-0317 (Google Voice)
cbankert@collaborative.org