MASSACHUSETTS

Joseph P. Smith Community Health Center

Dental Services

JMSCHC has offered dental services since its beginnings more than thirty-five years ago. Under Dr. William Horgan, the dental program has been expanded to include hygienic, restorative, crowns and bridges, extractions, pediatric dental and many other procedures normally associated with primary dental care. The dental staff speaks Polish, Russian, and Spanish, as well as English. Translation is also available in Haitian-Creole, Portuguese, Thai and Vietnamese.

History

In 1968, several committed community residents joined forces to assess the health care needs of their neighbors in Allston/Brighton. The group, under the leadership of Allston resident Joseph M. Smith, took to the streets and talked with residents about their health care needs and their difficulties finding appropriate care. In the course of their investigations, they discovered that many Allston/Brighton residents had no access to comprehensive health care services. The community lacked affordable providers and services for its residents; a very basic need in the community was unmet.

The group began planning a center which would provide residents across the entire life spectrum with a superior facility for all of their health care needs. The group’s vision was realized in 1974 when JMSCHC opened its doors to serve the community with compassionate, comprehensive health care. In a similar response to a serious community need, in 2004 the Center opened a site in Waltham to fill the vacuum left by the closing of Waltham Hospital. In the spring of 2008, expanding its reach into the community still further, the Center opened satellite sites at the Jackson-Mann Complex and Gardner Pilot Academy, both in Allston, to provide services to the schools’ student and parent populations, as well as their staffs. Not long after, the health center opened its stand-alone Vision Center, located across the street from the Allston facility, having outgrown its limited exam space for optometry.

Since the JMSCHC opened in 1974, it has remained true to its mission but has changed to reflect the needs of its users and of residents of Allston/Brighton, Waltham and surrounding communities. The spirit and enthusiasm upon which the ‘neighborhood’ center was founded is evident in the Center’s approach to its delivery of health care services to each individual who walks through its doors. The Center is committed to ensuring that all people have the opportunity to lead a full, healthy and productive life.

Fenway Health

Mission

The mission of Fenway Health is to enhance the wellbeing of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and all people in our neighborhoods and beyond through access to the highest quality health care, education, research and advocacy.

Location

Fenway Health’s Ansin Building home is located at 1340 Boylston Street in Boston’s West Fens neighborhood and is the largest facility ever constructed by an organization with a specific mission to serve the LGBT community. South End Associates of Fenway Health offers medical and behavioral health care and a full-service pharmacy at 142 Berkeley Street in the South End neighborhood of Boston.

In 2010, the Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center became a part of Fenway Health. The Borum is dedicated to providing the best quality health care for youth and young adults ages 12 to 29 who may not feel comfortable going anywhere else.

Dental Services

The Department of Dentistry at Fenway Health is a state-of-the-art dental facility utilizing the latest technologies in patient care and treatment. With new research demonstrating the relationship between oral and overall health, it is our goal to be able to provide our patients with access to high-quality oral health care. The addition of Dental Services to Fenway Health will enable us to better treat each individual with early oral disease prevention, detection, and restoration.

Our dental providers have extensive training and are proficient in all aspects of general dentistry. Fenway’s new Dentistry Department offers a variety of services for patients of all ages. Our services include comprehensive exams and oral cancer screening / evaluation, digitalized x-rays, cleanings and check-ups, and amalgam and composite (tooth-colored) fillings. Other services include esthetic consultations and tooth-whitening procedures, veneers, crowns and bridges, complete and partial removable prosthetics (dentures), non-complicated root canals and tooth extractions.

History

1971
Motivated by the belief that healthcare is a right, not a privilege, politically active Northeastern University students open a one-day-a-week drop-in center in the basement of a building owned by the Christian Science Church.

The center is staffed by volunteer medical students dedicated to serving the diverse Fenway neighborhood — a neighborhood that includes many seniors, gays, low-income residents, and students. Reflecting this mission, the founders name the center Fenway Community Health Center.

1973
To accommodate an increase in demand for services, the Center moves into a larger space in the basement of 16 Haviland Street. Cost of a patient visit: 50 cents or “whatever you can afford to pay.” Fenway incorporates as a freestanding health center and elects a volunteer governing board. Three separate collectives take root at Fenway Community Health Center: Women’s Collective, Gay Men’s Collective, Elders’ Collective

1975
Patient visit total: 5,000
Number of paid staff: 10

1976
Fenway Community Health Center conducts anonymous STD testing at gay bathhouses in Boston as part of a collaborative effort with the Department of Public Health to reduce the spread of STDs and hepatitis. First paid medical director hired.

1978
Fenway Community Health Center is fully licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

1980
Health care providers in New York and San Francisco begin observing a pattern of cancer-like symptoms among gay men. The national Center for Disease Control names the syndrome Gay Related Immune Deficiency (GRID). Fenway opens a laboratory on site. Volunteering his time, Dr. Ken Mayer initiates the Center’s earliest infectious disease research. Fenway introduces mental health services as a satellite site for Mass Mental Health. The New England Conservatory of Music becomes the first area college to contract Fenway’s mental health services for their students.

Patient visit total: 9,000
Operating budget: $200,000

1981
First official diagnoses of AIDS are made in New York and San Francisco.
Fenway makes the first diagnosis of AIDS in New England.

1982
Fenway’s Board of Directors creates an ad hoc committee charged with developing a series of AIDS Forums to address the medical and psychosocial implications of AIDS. The committee later evolves into the independent AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts.

1983
Fenway pioneers the first home-based Alternative Insemination (AI) program in the nation. Fenway launches AIDS hotline. First Fenway AIDS outreach conducted at Boston’s annual Gay Pride celebration.

1984
Fenway opens anonymous HIV testing program. Collaborating with Harvard Medical School, Fenway becomes one of the first medical facilities in the US to culture HIV from blood and semen samples. This project marks the beginning of a long-term collaborative relationship with both the medical school and Harvard’s School of Public Health.

Fenway’s Dr. Ken Mayer begins searching for antibodies to HIV.

1985
Cambridge Women’s Health Collaborative becomes part of Fenway Community Health Center.

Massachusetts bans gays and lesbians from becoming foster parents and the first baby is born from Fenway’s Alternative Insemination program.

1986
The AIDS Action Committee incorporates as an autonomous non-profit agency.

Mission statement revised to reflect Fenway’s commitment to the gay and lesbian community.

Patient visit total: 17,842
Operating budget: $890,000

1987
Fenway’s second full-time physician is hired.

1988
Fenway is the first medical facility in the state to offer the experimental HIV treatment Aerosol Pentamidine, prior to its approval by the Food and Drug Administration.

Fenway’s first full-time nurse is hired.

1989
Fenway’s Victim Recovery Project, later known as the Violence Recovery Program (VRP), established. Data collected from the program plays a significant role in efforts to pass the statewide Gay Rights Law and Hate Crimes Statistics Act.

Alternative Insemination program advocates within medical community for broader access to insemination services for single women and lesbians.
Fenway initiates its first Lesbian Health Task Force and first Lesbian Health Day.

Fenway’s Substance Abuse Counseling Program formed.

Gay and Lesbian Helpline established at Fenway.

Holistic health services instituted at Fenway.

Upon completion, Fenway’s garden is dedicated as Goosebump Park a reference to the one-woman show “Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe” in honor of Lily Tomlin’s and Jane Wagner’s continued support.

Fenway is one of the first medical facilities in the state to utilize acupuncture as a pain management treatment for people with HIV. Fenway recognized in

The Boston Globe Magazine for organizing the Community Research Initiative (CRI), which will later become an independent agency.

1991
Fenway’s anonymous testing program performs 40% of all anonymous HIV tests in the state.

After completing a successful $4 million building campaign, Fenway moves out of the basement at 16 Haviland Street into a new state-of-the-art facility at 7 Haviland Street.

Fenway’s HIV caseload reaches 500, second in the state only to then Boston City Hospital.

1992
Fenway throws its first annual “Women’s Dinner Party,” a fundraiser for Fenway Women’s Health that will soon become the largest event of its kind in the nation.

Fenway’s Color Me Healthy program initiated to provide HIV education and outreach to men of color.

Lesbian Health Research Subcommittee formed.

Fenway Forums established to train credentialed mental health professionals how to identify and respond to gay, lesbian, and HIV/AIDS health issues.

1993
Alternative Insemination program makes office-based services available to clients.

Lesbian Health Series launched to provide outreach and education to lesbians at high risk of developing breast cancer.

1994
Fenway chosen as one of only eight sites in the nation to conduct HIV vaccine trials, and is the only community health center represented in the group.

Fenway initiates internship program to train health care professionals how to care for the mental health needs of the GLBT community.

Research Department conducts assessments on lesbian and elder gay health needs, and a study on STD transmission between lesbians.

1995
Riders embark on the first Boston to New York AIDSRide, kicking off the largest single AIDS fundraiser in the country.

Boston Conservatory of Music contracts with Fenway to provide primary health care services for its students and employees.

FDA fast-tracks availability of protease inhibitors for the treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Fenway initiates at-home care program for neighborhood seniors.

Patient visit total: 54,000 (40% are HIV-related)
Operating budget: $8 million

1996
Fenway celebrates 25 years of operation.

Viral load testing offered as a new HIV/AIDS treatment service at Fenway.

Fenway Endowment Fund established.

Fenway institutes the use of acupuncture as a viable practice in the treatment of substance abuse.

Fenway patients who receive free care become automatically eligible for free care from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

1997
Fenway increases number of holistic medical providers on staff.

1998
Living Well Series initiated to educate the gay male community about the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

The Russell-Harris medical practice, located in the Back Bay/South End, merges with Fenway Community Health.

Fenway produces first Lesbian and Bisexual Women’s Health Research Forum in New England.

Fenway provides more than 800 free hepatitis vaccinations to the community.

1999
Fenway holds first annual Audre Lorde Women’s Cancer Awareness Brunch.

2000
Nationally recognized researcher Dr. Judith Bradford joins the Fenway staff as Director of Lesbian Health Research.

Fenway convenes panel of experts to brief members of the press about the historic significance of the US Department of Health and Human Services implementing new objectives related to sexual orientation in their public health plan “Healthy People 2010.”

2001
Fenway launches The Fenway Institute, a national interdisciplinary center dedicated to ensuring cultural competence in health care for the GLBT community through research and evaluation, training and education, and policy and advocacy. Dr. Ken Mayer and Dr. Judith Bradford named co-chairs of The Fenway Institute.

Total number of full-time physicians: 13

2002
Fenway became the first federally funded partnership with the HIV Prevention Trials Network to study HIV infections in Chennai, India through work with the Y. R. Gaitonde Centre.

2003
The Fenway Men’s Event drew a record 1,500 attendees and sold out for the first time. More than $250,000 was raised to help support Fenway’s programs and services.

2004
Fenway opens an onsite pharmacy that offers prescription medications to Fenway patients.

In response to legalization of same-sex marriages in Massachusetts, Fenway began offering same-sex marriage clinics. More than 1,000 patients came to Fenway for pre-marital screening appointments.

Fenway launches Transgender Health Program to help provide health care to this often underserved population.

2005
The Fenway Institute completes Phase I of its rectal microbicide acceptablity study for men. The study hopes to provide information on devleoping additional methods to reduce HIV transmissions.

Fenway becomes one of the first organizations nationwide to participate in an experimental preventive vaccine trial for Human Papilloma Virus.

In an effort to help medical providers better understand the unique health care needs of gay and bisexual men, Fenway publishes “Preventing and Managing STDs in MSM: A Toolkit for Clinicians,” in cooperation with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health STD Division.

2006
Fenway Community Health breaks ground in Boston’s West Fen’s neighborhood for its future home at 1340 Boylston Street.

2007
The Fenway Institute works with the American College of Physicians to publish The Fenway Guide to LGBT Health, the first American medical textbook to address the specific healthcare needs of LGBT people.

The Fenway Institute is funded by the National Institutes of Health as a Population Research Center on LGBT Health. Fenway is the first community-based organization to be awarded such a grant. This also represents an acknowledgment by the federal government of LGBT people as a unique population with specific health risks and disparities.

2008
Fenway’s South End Associates practice moves to expanded space on the second floor of The Pledge of Allegiance Building at 142 Berkeley Street and adds women’s health providers, Behavioral Health services and a Pharmacy.

Fenway expands its Women’s Health department in anticpation of the upcoming move to 1340 Boylston Street.

2009
Fenway shortens its operating name to “Fenway Health” and debuts a new logo.

On March 30, the doors open on Fenway’s new 1340 Boylston Street home. The 10 story, 100,000 square foot facility is the largest building ever constructed by an organization with a specific mission to serve the LGBT community. The new facility allows Fenway to expand its medical and behavioral health departments and pharmacy and to add family dentistry and eye care services. In addition, Fenway’s Women’s Health program is given dedicated space on the building’s third floor.

2010
The Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center joined the Fenway Health family effective July 1, 2010. The Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center operates as part of Fenway Health with the mission of serving marginalized and disenfranchised young people, including those who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender); homeless or living on the streets; struggling with substance use or abuse; sex workers; or living with HIV/AIDS.

Patient visit total: 70,000
HIV patient total: 1,300+
Operating budget: $30 million
Number of paid staff: 220

South Cove Community Health Center

Profile

South Cove Community Health Center (‘South Cove’) is the premier Asian community health center of Massachusetts. Founded in 1972, South Cove provides medical and behavioral health services and youth and family programs for approximately 24,000 clients at four locations in the greater Boston area. Our mission is to improve the health and well being of Asian Americans in Massachusetts, with a special focus on the medically underserved by providing high quality, community-based health care and programs which are accessible and linguistically and culturally competent for these populations.

South Cove is an affiliate of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Children’s Hospital.

South Cove Community Health Center is a Joint Commission (JCAHO) accredited facility.

History

South Cove Community Health Center was incorporated in 1972 by a group of volunteers in response to the inadequate provision of primary care services for the local residents in Boston Chinatown due to their language and cultural differences.

Early Beginnings
Immigration laws were changed in the 1960s, initiating an increase of new immigrants to urban America. This population expansion brought significant demographic change on a local level. Like other major urban centers absorbing this influx, Boston’s Chinatown changed from a mostly bachelor worker society to a family-based community. This dramatic transition brought a set of unique needs and challenges for which the surrounding medical facilities of the time were not equipped to handle. The growth in households brought an increased demand for linguistically and culturally fluent primary care services.

Today
More than 37 years later, South Cove has four sites located in the greater Boston area with over 200 employees, serving approximately 23,000 patients annually.

We are now the largest Asian community health center in Massachusetts with new and expanded clinics in Boston (Chinatown & South Street) and Quincy.

Our mission is to improve the health and well-being of Asian Americans in Massachusetts, with a special focus on the medically underserved. This mission is accomplished by providing high quality, community-based health care and programs which are accessible, affordable, as well as linguistically and culturally competent for these populations.

Today, we face many new challenges in providing health care for Asian Americans such as:

• Increase in ethnic diversity within the Asian community
• Rise of new Asian communities in surrounding areas with maintenance of ties to Chinatown
  To continue to meet the needs of our communities in this changing world, we have:

1. Established satellite clinics in those surrounding communities with relatively high percentage of Asians.
2. Staffed the clinics with native language speakers, including Chinese, Vietnamese, and Cambodian.
3. Expanded complementary service including health education outreach.

Services

South Cove provides primary and ambulatory care. For special services, South Cove refers patients to area hospitals, including:

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
• Children’s Hospital
• Tufts Medical Center
• Quincy Medical Center.

Bilingual Care

We have health care professionals who are fluent in:

• Chinese, including:
  • Mandarin
  • Cantonese
  • Toisanese
  • Taiwanese
• Vietnamese
• Malay
• Khmer

Fees

Service fees are based on a sliding fee scale. We receive funds from payments for clinical services, federal and state grants, and private donations.

Dental Services

• General dentistry
• Oral surgery
• School fluoride treatment program

Holyoke Community Health Center in Chicopee

Profile

Holyoke Health Center is a JCAHO Accredited community health center that has been providing medical and dental care in Holyoke since 1970. Our mission is to improve the health of our patients by providing quality health care and supporting comprehensive community-based programs to create a healthy community.

16,000 people come to the Holyoke Health Center each year for medical and dental care. They are insured and uninsured, young and old, low-income and wealthy. They speak English and Spanish and many other languages. The majority live in Holyoke, but we have patients from Amherst, Springfield, the Berkshires, and other towns and cities throughout Massachusetts.

Our 175 employees include 30 full-time medical and dental providers; 30 Nurses; 30 bilingual Medical and Dental Assistants; Case Managers; Outreach Workers; Financial Counselors, and more.

Our doctors, dentists, and nurse practitioners received their training at institutions including Harvard Medical School, University of Massachusetts, and Tufts University School of Medicine. They have provided care nationally and internationally and bring expertise and compassion to their work.

Dental Services

Our Dental Team sees patients of all ages, regardless of whether or not they have insurance. You can make an appointment, or come in for non-emergency urgent dental needs. Dental care is available to all patients, regardless of where they receive their medical care.

General Dental Care for adults and children, including:

• Cleanings
• Fluoride
• Sealants
• Extractions
• Fillings
• Root Canals
• Patient Education
• Referrals for additional services
• Non-Emergency
• Same Day Dental Care
• Oral Surgery
• Dental Care for patients with HIV/AIDS

“Holyoke Health Center has state-of-the-art dental equipment. We see many patients who are in great need of care and can provide them with the best care possible. We see many children, and we make sure that they leave with a big smile.” Fernando Perez, D.D.S., Dental Director

Codman Square Health Center

We are a state of the art facility with 7 operatories.

Mission Statement

To serve as a resource for improving the physical, mental and social well-being of the community.

About

The Codman Square Health Center is a community-based, outpatient health care and multi-service center in the heart of Dorchester. We opened our doors in 1979 with a dream: to build the best urban community in America. As part of this dream, we recognized that though health care begins by alleviating sickness, the journey to a true “culture of health” is achieved through the health of the whole person and the whole community. Our two-physician staff that summer of 1979 may have been small, but our mantra was not: while disease is a lack of health, health is not simply a lack of disease. Today, we are home to a staff of 280 multi-lingual and multi-cultural expert clinicians, medical staff and employees, most of whom reside in the neighborhoods near Codman Square. We boast more than 100,000 client contacts each year, and have developed an astounding depth and breadth of community programs, as well as strong partnerships with other organizations in order to meet our mission most efficiently.

We are the principal option for affordable, high quality, primary and preventive care in one of Boston’s poorest and most vulnerable communities. We provide comprehensive services including primary care, urgent care, dental care, eye care, behavioral health, public health, fiscal health, fitness/wellness programming and youth programming. We serve 20,000 patients each year, 87% of whom live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Our achievements include developing an innovative Diabetes care model, collaborating with our in-house charter public high school, providing ‘prescriptions’ to our HealthWorks fitness center for women and children, and serving as an economic engine by bringing 15,000 people to the Codman Square merchant district each month. We have built a foundation of preventive and primary care services that engages consumers and embraces innovation — while never losing sight of our mission to provide access to care. CSHC has been lauded by academic and health care leaders and politicians, modeled by communities around the world, and embraced by patients.

Codman Square Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and receives federal support through its designation as a Section 330 community health center.

Dorchester House Multi-Service Center

Mission

• To be an essential resource for our community in its efforts to achieve the highest levels of health, well-being and quality of life for its residents.
• To provide affordable, accessible and exceptional health care and other essential services in an environment that respects our consumers, staff and diverse community.
• To be a leading force for change in the health, economic and social well-being of our community.

Vision

Dorchester House will be the best community-based health and social services organization in the City of Boston. We will serve as a center of community life in Fields Corner and as a critical resource for all of Dorchester. With a diversity of programs, services and staff, Dorchester House will continue to offer a welcoming environment for all.

Dorchester House will be known for clinical excellence, offering exceptional care that values and reflects the cultural diversity of our neighborhood. We will be looked to as a model for providing care for all, regardless of ability to pay. We will be known for our leadership in promoting the health of our entire community and we will continue to seek opportunities to integrate public health priorities with our clinical care.

As a large business and major employer, we will be recognized as a substantial contributor to the economy of our community and city. Our organization will be governed by our community and our consumers, to whom all who work at Dorchester House will be accountable. We will attract and retain skilled and motivated staff and we will aggressively cultivate a work environment designed to ensure the highest levels of job satisfaction. We will remain dedicated to training future health professionals for service in the community, fulfilling our role as an academic community health center.

We will offer ourselves as a resource for information and technology, benefiting the residents of our community, our partners and ourselves. We will be tireless champions and advocates for public policy that benefits the most vulnerable among us.

The financial health of our organization will be an integral component of our dedication to service excellence. Our strategic development will reflect the value of partnership. Accordingly, we will initiate and participate in networks of care that will be models of collaboration and we will bring new benefits and services to our community.

Values

1. The most important person at Dorchester House is the customer. Our patients, staff, and community, are all customers of Dorchester House.
2. The health, economic and social needs of the individual, the family and the community are intertwined. Meeting the needs of our customers means viewing and treating them in a comprehensive and holistic manner.
3. Respect for our customers and for each other is among our highest priorities.
4. Access to our services regardless of ability to pay is the underlying principle of our mission.
5. Our patients have the right to receive health care in a manner that respects their dignity and their privacy. Our whole organization is dedicated to recognizing the rights of all who use our services.
6. We are proud of the cultural and ethnic diversity of our community and reflect this pride in the diversity of our staff, the languages in our communications, and the cultural competency of our services.
7. Dorchester House strives to be a work place where respect for each other is essential. We will assure that compensation and benefits are attractive, the physical work environment is comfortable and uplifting, and opportunity for advancement is available.
8. Financial stability is essential for meeting the needs of the community. This requires that we operate in a prudent manner – consistent with sound business principles – incorporating a clear decision-making process that is based on sound information and analysis.
9. We must be willing to improve our systems and ourselves continuously. This means that assessment, change and innovation are always part of our organization.
10. We are dedicated to meaningful collaboration to meet the complex health, economic and social needs of our community.

History

In 2002, Dorchester House completed a 2-year project in which the existing health center was completely renovated.

The project expanded what had been a 2-story health center with 19 exam rooms into a 3-story, modern facility with nearly 40 clinical exam rooms. This increase in space allowed for new and additional services to be offered, including mammography, an expanded optical service where patients can be fitted for frames and contacts and a new dental suite with 7 chairs.

A 25,000 square foot addition was also added to the front of the building on Dorchester Avenue. The new addition features broad expanses of windows and store front accessibility. The interior of the new addition is designed to be bright and accessible.

The 3-story atrium, with its welcoming banners in 7 languages and corner café invites people to sit and relax. Waiting rooms are awash with natural light and provide comfortable seating.

Where Dorchester House Began

The Dorchester House was originally built as a boy’s institution, with quarters at 7 Gordon Place in Fields Corner. Later, the programs were expanded to include activities for all ages and both sexes. As a settlement house, we were widely known during the first 20 years as “Gordon House.”

In November 1909, the institution was incorporated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as the “Dorchester House” for the purpose of industrial, educational and charitable work as well as for the establishment and maintenance of reading rooms, library and social meetings. Some of the interesting activities in our early history included baby clinics, cane seating, shoe repairing, savings and gardening classes.

On January 31, 1942, Dorchester House moved to 1353 Dorchester Avenue. Here, in a populous district, nearly two acres of land bordering Ellet Street, Dorchester Avenue and Leedsville Street were acquired, and a large building was renovated for our permanent home.

In 1974, on this same site, the new Dorchester House Multi-Service Center was built, with a comprehensive health center, a pre-school/day care center and a community center. The building has enabled us to increase both the scope and quantity of our service to the community.

The demand for health services was so great that in 1978 we added a second floor, which allowed us to expand our medical and mental health services, as well as add a dental program.

Dental Services

The Dental Services Department at Dorchester House offers an array of general dentistry and specialty services. The dental clinic is bright and cheerful and is fully equipped with modern, state-of-the-art dental technology. Our staff have outstanding qualifications (many have multiple postdoctoral degrees) and affiliations.

We maintain a formal relationship with the Boston University Goldman School of Dental Medicine, The Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgical Department at Boston Medical Center, The Lutheran Medical Center Advanced Education in Graduate Dentistry Program, The Mass Department of Public Health Office of Oral Health, and many other state and national oral health organizations.

Our services include:

• General dentistry
• Endodontics (root canal treatment)
• Periodontics (gum treatment)
• Prosthodontics (fabrication of artificial teeth)
• Oral surgery
• Oral hygiene education

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Inc is a comprehensive health delivery organization serving the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Matapan.

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, established in 1969 as an offshoot of the Boston Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), became an independent , non-profit corporation in 1976. The largest portion of our funding comes from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Medicare, Medicaid, the Neighborhood Health Plan, and other insurers.

Other funding comes from the City of Boston; the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Community Health Services and the Boston Public Schools.

The underlying principles guiding Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center’s mission statement are that people can best improve the quality of health and life by developing goals of self-health, by being producers of health rather than consumers of health care, and by being dedicated participants in health education and preventive medicine.

Who We Are

Harvard Neighborhood Health Center, Inc is a comprehensive health delivery organization serving the Boston neighborhoods of Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan.

Harvard Street, established in 1969 as an offshoot of the Boston Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH), became an independent , non-profit corporation in 1976. The largest portion of our funding comes from Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Medicare, Medicaid, the Neighborhood Health Plan, and other insurers.

Other funding comes from the City of Boston; the Massachusetts Department of Public Health; Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); Community Health Services and the Boston Public Schools.

The underlying principles guiding Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center’s mission statement are that people can best improve the quality of health and life by developing goals of self-health, by being producers of health rather than consumers of health care, and by being dedicated participants in health education and preventive medicine.

Dental Services

• Oral Exams
• Cleanings
• Cosmetic Dentistry
• Fillings
• Crowns and Moldings
• Extractions

Commitment

At Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, we strive to be in the vanguard of health centers in Boston that provide world-class clinical care in a safe and compassionate, patient-centered, healing, environment.

To that end, our highly qualified and caring physicians, nurses, and associates, are dedicated to assuring that quality care is our priority.

Our health center continues to strive to achieve our goals by employing the best tested evidence based science combined with judgment of expert clinicians. We are committed to treating patients and families with dignity, communicating and sharing information effectively, and serving as a nexus of innovative public health initiatives.

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center strives to provide exemplary care to our communities at every opportunity. Our commitment to the public wellness of the communities we serve is highlighted by our vigorous, multifaceted health care services and programs; from preventive medicine such as free health education classes and screenings, to advanced treatment methods to fight chronic diseases.

It is pertinent to note that Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center is certified as a “Provider of the underserved” by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is located in a federally designated “Empowerment Zone.”

The health center is dedicated to serving our dynamic and ever growing demographically diverse and underserved population. All services are provided in a confidential manner and are geared to the particular needs of our patients.

Holyoke Community Health Center

Profile

Holyoke Health Center is a JCAHO Accredited community health center that has been providing medical and dental care in Holyoke since 1970. Our mission is to improve the health of our patients by providing quality health care and supporting comprehensive community-based programs to create a healthy community.

16,000 people come to the Holyoke Health Center each year for medical and dental care. They are insured and uninsured, young and old, low-income and wealthy. They speak English and Spanish and many other languages. The majority live in Holyoke, but we have patients from Amherst, Springfield, the Berkshires, and other towns and cities throughout Massachusetts.

Our 175 employees include 30 full-time medical and dental providers; 30 Nurses; 30 bilingual Medical and Dental Assistants; Case Managers; Outreach Workers; Financial Counselors, and more.

Our doctors, dentists, and nurse practitioners received their training at institutions including Harvard Medical School, University of Massachusetts, and Tufts University School of Medicine. They have provided care nationally and internationally and bring expertise and compassion to their work.

Dental Services

Our Dental Team sees patients of all ages, regardless of whether or not they have insurance. You can make an appointment, or come in for non-emergency urgent dental needs. Dental care is available to all patients, regardless of where they receive their medical care.

General Dental Care for adults and children, including:

• Cleanings
• Fluoride
• Sealants
• Extractions
• Fillings
• Root Canals
• Patient Education
• Referrals for additional services
• Non-Emergency
• Same Day Dental Care
• Oral Surgery
• Dental Care for patients with HIV/AIDS

“Holyoke Health Center has state-of-the-art dental equipment. We see many patients who are in great need of care and can provide them with the best care possible. We see many children, and we make sure that they leave with a big smile.” Fernando Perez, D.D.S., Dental Director

The Dimock Center

Profile

The Dimock Center is the leader in providing health and human services to Boston’s urban neighborhoods. Located on a nine-acre campus that has National Historic Landmark status with 15 off-site locations, The Dimock Center’s physicians and staff receive over 73,000 patient visits annually.

Our mission is to enhance the health, well being and potential of the people we serve by providing high quality accessible health care, human services, education and skills development through three delivery clusters: Health and Community Care (HIV) Services, Behavioral Health Services, and Child and Family Services. This comprehensive model of care permits referrals across the system for clients with multiple needs.

The Dimock Center was incorporated in 1862 as the New England Hospital for Women and Children and flourished under the stewardship of Marie Elizabeth Zakrzewska (Zak-SHEF-ska), a young Polish doctor who devoted her life to providing excellent medical care and service to women. The hospital distinguished itself as a training center for women physicians and nurses and graduated the nation’s first nurse, Linda Richards, in 1873 and the first African American nurse, Mary Eliza Mahoney, in 1879.

In 1969, parallel with the changing needs of its community, Board of Directors shifted from a hospital orientation and inaugurated “Dimock Community Health Center”. As a community-based program, Dimock is better positioned to address the traditional needs of its service area, as well as the social and economic factors that impact so profoundly on individual and family health.

In addition to the services offered in our cluster groups, our affiliation with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center provides additional medical services ranging from primary and specialty care in the Adult Medicine department to OB/GYN services provided by a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual staff.

Today, THE DIMOCK CENTER is operating as an innovative, nonprofit, minority-directed agency under the leadership of President and CEO Ruth Ellen Fitch. The Dimock Center is proud to be Boston’s largest and most comprehensive health and human services agency.

Recognized nationally as a model for the delivery of comprehensive health and human services in an urban community, The Dimock Center provides the residents of Boston with convenient access to quality health care and human services that might not otherwise be available to the communities we serve. In 2009, our providers and staff saw over 73,000 patient and client visits.

The Dimock Center’s Health Care programs deliver comprehensive health maintenance, screening, immunizations, and prevention for adults and children with specialized clinics, including Women’s Health and OB/GYN, HIV/AIDs, eye care, and dental care. Our Child and Family Development programs offer group fitness activities, academic support and computer training, as well as a safe environment for children and adolescents. Our Behavioral Health program assists those struggling with mental illness, developmental delay, substance abuse or violence issues. For many individuals and families, participation in Dimock’s programs and services literally saves lives.

The Dimock Center, founded on July 1, 1862 as the New England Hospital for Women and Children, was the first hospital in New England opened and operated by women for women, and only the second in the country. Noted prominently for its role in the history of women in medicine, Dimock strives to continue in the innovative spirit of trailblazers like Dr. Marie Zakrzewska, who established the hospital, and Mary Eliza Mahoney, the country’s first black nurse who studied here in 1879. Our nine-acre campus was designated as a National Historic Site in 1985 and a National Historic Landmark in 1991. Today, as the largest community based agency in Roxbury, Dimock serves thousands upon thousands of children, adults and families each year.

Highlights of Dimock’s work this year include our new Smart Kids After-School Program, offering children from 6–12 years of age after-school activities — we are now able to provide continuity of services for children from 0–18 years old. The Mary Eliza Mahoney Transitional Housing Program, a temporary homeless shelter for 26 families, provides medical care, life skills training, housing advocacy and job counseling enabling residents to regain their self-sufficiency. We encourage you to come visit us on campus and let us show you firsthand how your contributions impact the community.

A National Treasure

The Dimock Center was named as an Official Project of Save America’s Treasures, a public-private partnership between the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation that is dedicated to the preservation of the nation’s irreplaceable historic and cultural treasures for future generations. In a moving dedication ceremony, Senator Edward M. Kennedy said: “This plaque officially recognizes the rich architectural beauty of the buildings comprising Dimock’s campus, and is testament to Dimock’s illustrious history as a premier health provider to the community.”

The original choice of the Roxbury campus site was motivated by the comparatively low cost of land, the clear air and quiet of a country location. Situated on a nine-acre site that includes eight buildings constructed over a fifty-eight year period from 1872 to 1930, the Dimock complex—originally the New England Hospital for Women and Children—exemplifies a range of changing architectural fashions from the slick style and High Victorian Gothic of the late 19th century to the Classical and Georgian Revival style of the early 20th century. The site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, designated as a National Landmark in 1991, and selected as a Boston Historical Landmark in 1995.

In 1969, in response to community needs, The New England Hospital became “Dimock Community Health Center”, a nonprofit, minority-directed, community-based organization that provides an integrated continuum of health and human services and serves some of Boston’s neediest urban neighborhoods.

The new Landmark status caps a ten-year restoration effort that began in 1988, when The Dimock Center launched a three-phase campus redevelopment plan designed to restore the magnificent architecture gracing its campus, and to provide adequate and appropriate space for its vital programs and services.

Within the ten-year period, paralleling its growth from a $5 million to a $25 million organization, Dimock renovated over 70,000 square feet to restore many of its original buildings, and constructed three new buildings of more than 50,000 square feet. The dollars used to construct and renovate were raised in two capital campaigns that contributed to an overall investment of $17 million in Dimock’s infrastructure. This expansion has allowed Dimock to build on its nationally recognized services for families and children, and increase the number of individuals accessing those services. Future renovation efforts will center on restoring the Cary Cottage, the oldest building in the Dimock complex. We believe our Save America’s Treasures status is consistent with the quality health services we have been providing from this historic campus, a legacy that encompasses the spirit of the past and provides inspiration for the future.

Today, THE DIMOCK CENTER enjoys its place in history as it continues to provide modern services to its clients and patients.

Whittier Street Health Center

Mission

The mission of Whittier Street Health Center is to provide high quality, reliable and accessible primary health care and support services for diverse populations to promote wellness and eliminate health and social disparities.
reception

Vision

Our vision is to serve as the premiere leader in urban healthcare to diverse populations.

Statement of Commitment

In order to ensure that Whittier Street Health Center’s programs and services achieve the mission and vision articulated by the organization’s leadership, we make a pledge to the community we serve to:

• Care for our patients as we would our loved ones: with expertise, compassion and respect
• Personify initiative, innovation and tenacity in addressing community health priorities
• Demonstrate that we foster an environment of diversity, reward excellence and added-value, and encourage good citizenship amongst employees
• Work well with our colleagues and our community to advance the well-being of our clients
• Exhibit leadership on critical issues in ways worthy of the public’s confidence
• Demonstrate accountability, integrity and resourcefulness in our financial stewardship

Core Values

At the heart of the Whittier Street Health Center is a set of core values that permeate our customer service, patient care and staff interaction:

• Respect for team, patients and self
• Cultural competency in areas of culture, belief systems and language
• Excellence
• Community commitment
• Education of staff and community residents.
• Leadership organizationally and within the medical community
• Customer-centric
• Trust and trustworthiness
• Professionalism
• Best place to work

Dental Services

The Dental Department at Whittier Street Health Center offers extensive services for patients of all ages. These services include comprehensive exams and evaluations, X-rays, cleanings and check-ups, and composite (tooth-colored) fillings.

A full range of specialty practices is also available, such as Tooth-Whitening procedures, Orthodontics (braces), Prosthodontics (crowns, bridges, and dentures), Endodontics (root canals), Periodontics (gum treatment and surgery), and Oral Surgery procedures.

Morning and afternoon emergency appointments are on a first-come, first-served basis during the weekdays. Walk-ins are always welcome for initial exams. Most insurance plans are accepted, and payment plans are available for more complicated treatment plans.