Community health centers are the base of operations for the delivery of services to the community.
It represents the aspirations of society and emphasizes the nature and purpose of social services.
Community health centers (CHCs) have for more than 50 years played an integral role in providing primary care tailored to their needs.
These centers take into account cultural, social (including low income), food insecurity, housing, lack of access and health needs.
How we support community health centers
My Health Fair strongly supports the mission of Community Centers through our virtual health fair.
At this fair, we connect health care providers with the community.
We provide information and facilitate community education on all aspects of health care access.
Its focus is to promote equity and access to comprehensive services.
There are an estimated 1,400 organizations providing comprehensive care to 28 million patients, and growing.
Between 2016 and 2017 alone, health centers added 1.3 million patients and 16,000 employees.
They also opened 600 new sites across the country, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center
As part of this network, the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) has been a vital part of the community for more than 50 years.
This health center is the largest in Massachusetts and a leading health care provider providing continuous 24-hour care.
Do you have to pay to be served?
EBNHC continually participates in collaborative assessments and planning forums to understand and gain a true picture of patients’ changing needs.
In this way, it can create new services to meet these needs.
It is estimated that about 23% of patients are uninsured.
EBNHC uses a sliding fee scale system for uninsured patients, meaning you will be charged a fee based on your income and household size.
What services does this health center offer?
This center provides primary care services in dentistry, endocrinology, nutrition, pharmacy, adult, women’s and children’s medicine, mental health, and social services.
EBNHC has other community services such as arthritis/rheumatology, audiology, and a pulmonary department, as well as community-oriented programs:
Nourishing our community:
Helps families and individuals address hunger-related illness and malnutrition.
With Food Access programs they increase access to healthy foods at Farmers Markets.
At the Wellness and Community Resource Center they serve over 700 families each week with groceries and staples.
Home-delivered Meals Program:
Prepares more than 2,000 meals each week for seniors enrolled in the Senior Care Options or Program of All Inclusive Care of the Elderly programs.
WIC Program:
A nutrition program that provides nutrition and health education, healthy foods and other free services to Massachusetts families, women, infants and children who qualify.
Violence Prevention:
EBNHC leads and participates in collaborative public safety programs, working with individuals and families who face complex challenges and may need services from more than one community agency.
Neighborhood Trauma Teams:
NTTs provide rapid response services for individuals, families and communities affected by community violence 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Short-term case management, coping groups, psychological first aid and consultation services are provided.
Neighborhood PACE Program
The Neighborhood PACE Program, for adults 55 and older, aims to support the community in staying healthy, active and independent.
PACE provides medical, social, recreation, rehabilitation, home care, and other services such as no co-pay medications and transportation to the PACE health center and medical appointments.
In this way, residents of East Boston, Chelsea, Winthrop, Revere, Everett, Malden, Melrose, Medford, Stoneham, and Boston’s North End neighborhood can continue to live full lives and receive the right care in the right place at the right time.
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center works hard to promote and maintain healthy communities, families, and individuals.
This is made possible by providing affordable, high quality health care services and innovation.
The center seeks to expand its services to many more key and diverse communities than it currently serves.
My Health Fair is celebrating National Health Center Week August 7-13, 2022.
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Sources: https://healthcity.bmc.org/ , https://www.ebnhc.org/ , https://neighborhoodpace.org/