EMO Health Among Recipients for $30 million Cummings Grant

EMO Health (“EMO”) was one of several local nonprofits recognized by Governor Maura Healey on Thursday, June 14th that will share in $30 million through the Cummings Foundation’s annual grants program. EMO was selected from a total of 715 applicants during a competitive review process undertaken by local mayors, business and nonprofit leaders, college presidents, and experts in areas such as finance, diversity, equity, and inclusion.

EMO will receive $75,000 over three years to launch a trailblazing, pharmacist-led initiative to improve medication safety and adherence in unhoused populations and to support the front-line workers in homeless shelters and low-barrier, low threshold transitional housing programs.

EMO was founded in 2015 by US Navy veteran and Marshfield native, Allison Burns, following her own lived experience with poor opioid prescribing. EMO currently provides medication management, technical assistance, and clinical support services to nearly 5,900 addiction treatment beds across Massachusetts.

“Receiving the Cummings Grant is a transformative milestone for EMO,” said EMO President and CEO, Allison Burns. “It is a profound affirmation of our mission to foster positive change and create sustainable interventions to support those experiencing homelessness. Housing insecurity disproportionally affects individuals with substance use and cooccurring mental health disorders.”

EMO will use the funds to place a pharmacist onsite to improve medication storage and disposal systems, as well as train staff in principles of medication management. The program is designed to support the evolving needs of unhoused and housing insecure people residing in shelters and temporary housingprograms that were never designed to store large quantities of prescription medications. Staff and volunteers often lack formal training and are tasked with collecting, storing, and returning hundreds of medications every day to individuals staying overnight or temporarily residing in their facilities.

“Greater Boston is fortunate to have a robust, dedicated, and highly capable nonprofit sector that supports and enhances the community in myriad ways,” said Cummings Foundation Executive Directorand Trustee Joyce Vyriotes. “The entire Cummings organization is thankful for their daily work to help all our neighbors thrive.”

The Cummings $30 Million Grant Program primarily supports Massachusetts nonprofits that are based inand serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties, plus six communities in Norfolk County: Brookline, Dedham, Milton, Needham, Quincy, and Wellesley.

This year’s grant recipients represent a wide variety of causes, including housing and food insecurity, workforce development, immigrant services, social justice, education, and mental health services. The nonprofits are spread across 49 different cities and towns.

Cummings Foundation has now awarded $500 million to greater Boston nonprofits. The complete list of this year’s 150 grant winners, plus nearly 2,000 previous recipients, is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.