The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts, Inc. was formally established in January, 1999, with initial assets of approximately $60 million. These assets resulted from the sale of Central Massachusetts Health Care, Inc. (CMHC) a physician-initiated, not-for-profit health maintenance organization. The trustees of CMHC envisioned a philanthropic organization dedicated to improving the health of the people in the region as a fitting legacy to those physicians who founded and then supported the original organization in 1977. The Health Foundation is committed to sustaining its founding heritage, while building on the broad definition of "health", as defined by the World Health Organization.