United Way of Greater Fall River supports programs in Greater Fall River that support the health, education, financial stability & basic needs of our community.

In our 2020-2021 campaign, we raised $1.1 million to fund programs throughout our service area.  Below are just a few of the stories our agency partners shared with us about their UWGFR-funded programs.

 

“Behavioral Support Program” – People, Inc

Lily (3) came to our school non-verbal and unable to control her emotions. Her mother, Patricia, did not know how to help Lily.  Lily had already had to leave two other schools because of her behavior. People, Inc agreed to accept Lily into the preschool program on a trial basis and looked toward the future for a strong relationship. Megan, our school-based therapist, provided tools for Lily’s teachers to help her understand her place in her peer group as well as how to become a contributing member of her school community. Lily is now thriving at school thanks to the collaboration between Megan and her teachers. Lily’s mother is amazed at the progress she has made and works hard to make sure she is following the routine and advice of Megan and Lily’s teachers. As a result, Patricia has recommended the People Incorporated Preschool to others as “the place to be for wonderful support and a great education.”

 

“Women’s Center” – SSTAR

Fernanda, our Portuguese-speaking advocate from the Women’s Center, led an outreach and assistance event for 25 families newly immigrated from Brazil. She brought two trucks to their church with bedding, clothing, toiletries, and other donations, as well as information and brochures for local services. She showed the families how to use Source Hub to get information on enrolling children in school, finding food pantries, legal aid, etc. She provided information on our services for domestic and sexual violence in recognition of the high rate of assaults at the border. She also arranged for SSTAR’s mobile health van to meet at the church to provide COVID vaccines and information on medical services. Following this event, we saw an increase of over 1,000 new individuals viewing Source Hub. We also will provide follow-up care for several of the women who spoke with Fernanda through the Women’s Center. Since this event was so successful, we will be repeating the event at another location in the near future.  Our goal is to bring more women and their families in to SSTAR for health services.

“Behavioral Health Center” – Family Service Association

A young woman with olive skin and highlighted brown hair gives a baby in a green sleeper a bottle.  They are sitting on a couch.

Postpartum mental healthcare is one support provided by the Behavioral Health Center at FSA.

Tiana was a 32 year old mother, was suffering from post-partum depression for 3 months after the birth of her son. Prior to his birth she had suffered from three miscarriages within two years. She had not fully grieved these losses. Tiana was suffering from anxiety, depression, sleep issues, somatic illnesses and was struggling to bond with her new baby. Prior to the birth of her son, she had been working fulltime. Unfortunately, she could not return to work due to her anxiety and depression. She needed to take an unpaid leave of absence from her job. Tiana had insurance through her husband’s work but had a $50 copay for each therapy session, which was out of their family budget since she wasn’t working. With the help from United Way, we were able to reduce her copay to $20 per session. She was provided medication management and individual therapy. Tiana responded well to treatment, her symptoms decreased and her relationship with her baby improved. Over time, Tiana reduced her therapy visits, returned to work, and changed her healthcare to her company’s insurance with a lower copay. She was able to pay the $30 copay from her new insurance and we no longer needed to reduce her copay. Tiana and her family are doing well thanks to the care and support from FSA and UWGFR.

Fight for the health, education, and financial stability of our community.

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