Massachusetts hospitals are interested in ensuring a complete count of the state’s residents during the 2020 U.S. Census, and last week MHA sent them
a toolkit to help them fulfill that goal.
Census data determines the amount of representative that each state is allotted in Congress and informs the shape of Congressional redistricting. The census also dictates how more than $675 billion in federal funding is distributed among states, counties, and municipalities, including funding for Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, reproductive health programs, community health centers, substance use disorder prevention and treatment, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, among many others services.
As hospitals are important community leaders, they have a role to play in informing patients, staff, and the community as a whole on the importance of being counted. The MHA toolkit – including links to U.S. Census resources, flyers, social media posts, and more – helps hospitals get the word out. MHA has been a participant in the Massachusetts Secretary of State’s Complete Count Committee and convened a healthcare subcommittee to assist in the development of the toolkit.