Health & Wellness
Caring for Fishing Families Since 1997
Health Insurance & More
Navigating the healthcare system is complicated for fishermen and their families. Our Navigators are standing by to help fishing families apply for health coverage, shop for & enroll into an insurance plan, make income and household updates, and find a primary care physician. We also offer wellness programs that include preventative health clinics, delivered harborside, and support services for those who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event.
Health & Wellness Programs
We help fishing families enroll in a health insurance plan.
The Massachusetts Health Connector is the state’s marketplace for health and dental insurance. Residents of Massachusetts are eligible to apply. Fishing Partnership Navigators are trained and certified by the Health Connector and MassHealth to help you understand your options and apply for health insurance. Applying for health insurance can be daunting, especially for an industry like commercial fishermen. Income is unpredictable and can fluctuate from one month to the next. Our Navigators work closely with individuals and families to help estimate earnings, even for self-employed individuals.
If you don’t have health insurance, or have lost your coverage, contact Fishing Partnerhip. Our Navigators can explain your coverage options, enroll you and your family in the best plan for your needs and help you find a health care provider. We can also help you apply and enroll in MassHealth and other Health Connector programs and determine if you qualify for financial assistance.
If you find yourself needing health insurance outside of the enrollment period, you still may be eligible to enroll. For example, if you’ve recently lost health insurance from a job loss, gotten married, or had a child, you may be eligible to enroll outside of the enrollment period. To learn more, contact Fishing Partnership.
We bring preventative healthcare programs harborside for your convenience.
At Fishing Partnership, we know it can be hard for fishermen to get to the doctor for basic preventative care like flu and tetanus shots, hearing tests, dental cleanings, and skin cancer screenings. Our Navigator teams bring these services right to the harbor, along with other Fishing Partnership programs, such as safety trainings. We offer free health vaccines, screenings and courses throughout the year. You don’t even need to have health insurance to participate, though we can help you apply for health insurance on the spot.
Featured Healthy Harbor Programs include:
- Flu, tetanus & pneumonia vaccines
- Skin cancer screenings
- Oral cancer screenings
- Hearing screenings
- Dental Exams & Cleaning
If you’ve experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, we can help.
Fishing Partnership supports not only the physical health of fishing families but the mental and behavioral health too. Through our partnership with Riverside Trauma Center, we provide on-call and in-person support with access to trained and licensed staff of clinicians to aid fishing families who may be dealing with stressful events, acute trauma or grief. Riverside Trauma Center is a trusted organization and leader in providing critical incident services to communities, schools, organizations, workplaces, and individuals across Massachusetts.
- Provide post-traumatic stress management to assist families after a loss at sea.
- Connect individuals with community-based resources.
- Provide psychological first-aid to crew members after witnessing a traumatic event.
- Provide one-on-one support, such as safety training and a fishing trip for disabled veterans.
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What Fishermen Are Saying
Safety at Sea
New England is home to fisheries which are some of the deadliest in the world. Learn more about Fishing Partnership’s no-cost safety training for commercial fishermen, because the life you save could be your own.
Economic Security
We offer financial education classes and webinars that help fishermen access loans, unemployment insurance and other programs that improve the financial health of fishing businesses and households.
Request Services
Commercial fishermen are essential workers and heroes who risk their lives to feed us. The pandemic has threatened the collective livelihood of the 20,000 fishermen we serve. You can help local fishing families by answering the call. Make a donation to support Fishing Partnership programs and thank you.
Become a Friend
Show your support for commercial fishermen and become a supporting member of Fishing Partnership today. It costs nothing to join! You will receive news and updates on the local fishermen who bring you the freshest seafood, sustainably caught, from the most highly regulated wild fisheries in the world.