$1M for Community Health Centers

May 03, 2022

Matthew Mogavero, 857-248-0868
mmogavero@massdevelopment.com

BOSTON – MassDevelopment has awarded grants totaling $1,056,010 to 22 community health centers across Massachusetts through its Community Health Center Grant Program. The program offers grants of up to $50,000 each to fund capital improvement projects including construction, renovation, equipment, furniture, technology-related projects, as well as facility needs related to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The Commonwealth is fortunate to be home to many first-rate community health centers that provide critical care to families and individuals,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s Board of Directors. “The Baker-Polito Administration is pleased to support these health centers that have proven themselves invaluable partners in our collective efforts to combat COVID-19 and address social challenges exacerbated by the pandemic.” 

“By providing affordable health care and social services to vulnerable populations across Massachusetts, community health centers are indispensable assets in our neighborhoods,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. “As we try to bounce back from the pandemic, it’s as important as ever to support the critical capital projects and improvements of these organizations through our Community Health Center Grant Program.”

The Community Health Center Grant Program is funded by the MassDevelopment/Massachusetts Health Educational Facilities Authority (HEFA) Charitable Trust. MassDevelopment offers other financing options to community health centers, including tax-exempt bond financing and TechDollars, a loan program to help nonprofits buy and install technology equipment.

“These grants are critical in the ongoing work of community health centers to serve their under-resourced communities,” said Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers President and CEO Michael Curry, Esq. “Funding that invests in medical equipment upgrades and facility improvements for community health centers means more care for more patients in need.”
 
The following organizations received Community Health Center Grant Program awards in FY22.

Manet Community Health Center, Attleboro - $31,191
Serving the community since 1979, Manet Community Health Center (Manet) is dedicated to providing preventive, primary, and non-emergent urgent care to all. At its three locations in Quincy, as well as locations in Hull, Taunton, and Attleboro, Manet delivers care to more than 20,000 patients annually and offers a full array of services and programs for infants, children, adolescents, adults, and seniors. Manet will use grant funds to build a public restroom at its new Attleboro location, which the health center has plans to expand in 2022.

Charles River Community Health, Inc., Boston & Waltham - $50,000
Established in 1974, Charles River Community Health, Inc. (CRCH) strives to improve the health and well-being of Boston’s Allston and Brighton neighborhoods, Waltham, and surrounding areas by providing quality, comprehensive, coordinated, integrated, and culturally competent care. CRCH will use grant funds to buy and replace dental equipment for seven dental exam rooms in Brighton and four dental exam rooms in Waltham, including dental chairs, x-rays, lights, and associated tools. In 2020, CRCH provided more than 10,000 dental appointments to 4,266 patients.

Codman Square Health Center, Boston - $50,000
Founded in 1979, Codman Square Health Center (CSHC) is located in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood and provides comprehensive services to more than 23,000 patients annually. Ninety percent (90%) of CSHC patients are Black/African-American and 95% identify as a racial or ethnic minority. The organization will use grant funds to replace the leaking roof at The Great Hall, a historic building that houses CSHC’s administrative headquarters and other social services.

Dimock Community Health Center, Inc., Boston - $50,000
Dimock Community Health Center, Inc. (Dimock), located on a nine-acre campus in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood, offers a holistic model of care including health services, substance use disorder services, and early childhood education. Founded in 1862 as the New England Hospital for Women and Children, it was the first hospital in New England opened and operated by women, for women. Today, Dimock provides comprehensive health and human services to 19,000 people annually. It will use grant funds to renovate and expand its dental and eye clinics.

Fenway Health, Boston - $50,000 
Fenway Health advocates for and delivers innovative, equitable, accessible health care, supportive services, and transformative research and education to more than 34,000 people annually. The organization centers LGBTQIA+ people, BIPOC individuals, and other underserved communities; for 50 years, Fenway Health has remained one of the few federally qualified health centers with an explicitly LGBTQIA+ focus and an unparalleled commitment to providing culturally competent care. The organization will use this grant to support the renovation of space in its primary building into a centralized sterile processing center.

Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, Boston - $50,000
Based in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center (HSNHC) provides multifaceted and patient-centered health care services and programs ranging from preventive services to advanced treatment plans to address chronic conditions. The organization’s services also include a food pantry and Veterans Outreach Center. HSNHC will use this grant to buy dental equipment and replace outdated dental chairs for the organization’s dental clinic.

North End Community Health Committee, Inc., Boston - $50,000
Founded in 1971 as the first Italian-American health center in the United States, North End Community Health Committee, Inc. (NEW Health) is committed to improving the quality of health and life for the residents of Boston’s North End, Waterfront, and Charlestown neighborhoods. An affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital and Boston Medical Center, NEW Health serves patients by providing high-quality health care that is consumer oriented, culturally appropriate, neighborhood based, affordable, and that produces positive outcomes. The organization will use this grant to repair the roof at its North End location.

South Cove Community Health Center, Boston - $32,094
South Cove Community Health Center (South Cove) serves more than 33,000 patients across five locations in Boston, Malden, and Quincy. South Cove patients are predominately non-English speaking, speaking primarily Cantonese, Mandarin, and Vietnamese. The organization provides internal medicine, pediatrics, OB/GYN, behavioral health, dentistry, optometry, and mammography and bone density screenings. South Cove will use grant funds to replace outdated equipment used for sterilization and vaccine storage, including refrigerators and freezers.

Upham’s Corner Health Center, Boston - $50,000
Founded in 1971, Upham’s Corner Health Center (UCHC) provides comprehensive, culturally competent, community-based health and social services to the residents of Boston’s North Dorchester neighborhood and adjacent neighborhoods through a racial justice and health equity framework. UCHC offers a wide array of high-quality integrated medical services including primary and specialty health care, dental, eye care, behavioral health, addiction services, WIC, home health care, nutrition, pharmacy, social support, and community outreach services, and an elder service plan. UCHC will put grant funds towards its infrastructure improvement project, which includes upgrading diagnostic wall units, exam room desks and stools, an accessibility exam table, and a pediatric exam table.

Community Health Center of Cape Cod, Inc., Cape Cod - $50,000
Community Health Center of Cape Cod, Inc. meets the needs of low-income, uninsured, underserved, and immigrant individuals and families of the upper Cape Cod region and surrounding towns. In addition to primary care, the organization provides access to mental health, substance use disorder treatment, vision, dental, pharmacy, walk-in care, nutrition, and a number of wraparound programs. The organization will use this grant to expand and implement an access control security system and targeted camera upgrade to increase visibility in vulnerable areas at its locations in Bourne, Centerville, Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich.

Island Health Care, Inc., Edgartown - $50,000
Island Health Care, Inc. (Island Health) was founded to address the primary care access shortage on Martha’s Vineyard by providing islanders with high-quality health care regardless of income or insurance status. Island Health’s services include primary medical care, dental and oral health care, mental and behavioral health care, substance use disorder counseling, chronic disease management, laboratory and diagnostic services, nutrition counseling, wellness coaching, patient advocacy and care management, and more. Island Health will use grant funds to construct a dental center, including building out three operatories, a laboratory, and additional space for employees and patient services.

Community Health Connections, Inc., Gardner - $50,000
Community Health Connections, Inc. (CHC) provides comprehensive health care, substance use treatment, behavioral health services, and specialty services to the insured, low-income, underinsured, uninsured, publicly housed, and homeless populations in 35 cities and towns in north-central Massachusetts. CHC has four service sites in Leominster, Gardner, and Fitchburg. CHC will use this grant to support costs associated with the build-out of two urgent care rooms within its new, fifth service site, a 20,000-square-foot community health center under construction in Gardner.

North Shore Community Health, Gloucester, Peabody & Salem - $50,000
Founded in 1977 as Peabody Family Health Center, North Shore Community Health’s (NSCH) mission is to provide health care for a diverse population of low-income, medically underserved, uninsured, and underinsured residents across Essex County. NSCH provides medical, dental, behavioral health, and substance use services at its 10 sites in Gloucester, Peabody, and Salem, and also operates the Student Health Center at Peabody Veterans Memorial High School and the Teen Health Center at Salem High School. NSCH will use this grant to buy essential dental equipment for its Gloucester Family Health Center, Peabody Family Health Center, and Salem Family Health Center.

Holyoke Health Center, Inc., Holyoke - $50,000
Founded in 1970, Holyoke Health Center, Inc. (HHC) is the only free-standing comprehensive health center serving adults and children in the greater Holyoke area with an on-site pharmacy, primary medical care, and integrated oral health and behavioral health services. HHC has two full-service sites in Holyoke and Chicopee, as well as dental sites at the Holyoke Soldier’s Home and the Western Massachusetts Hospital in Westfield. HHC recently bought a building near its existing Holyoke site that will be incorporated into the growing campus; the organization will use this grant for safety and security improvements to the new building’s parking lot, where patients can park for free. 

Greater Lawrence Family Health Center, Lawrence - $50,000
Since 1980, Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) has worked to improve and maintain the health of individuals and families in the Merrimack Valley by providing a network of high-quality, comprehensive health care services and by training health care professionals to respond to the needs of a culturally diverse population. GLFHC currently operates six main clinics, as well as two school-based health centers at Lawrence High School and Greater Lawrence Technical School. GLFHC will use grant funds to buy a point-of-care ultrasound machine, which will allow the organization to integrate musculoskeletal, abdominal, pulmonary, cardiac, and OB ultrasounds into its outpatient clinic and will be used in its new first trimester prenatal clinic. 

Community Health Programs, North Adams - $50,000
Community Health Programs (CHP) is the only Federally Qualified Health Center in Berkshire County and exists to serve those who have limited access to care, including low-income, uninsured, underinsured, immigrant, migrant, seasonal, homeless, and public housing residents. CHP is a community-based nonprofit network of health centers, dental centers, mobile health units, and comprehensive family support programming. The organization will use grant funds to upgrade its North Adams Medical and Dental Center practice by equipping two additional dental exam rooms.

Community Health Centers of Franklin County, Inc., Orange - $50,000
The Community Health Center of Franklin County, Inc. provides medical care, dental care, and behavioral health care and supports social services such as transportation, language interpretation, and insurance navigator services. The organization primarily serves vulnerable populations with barriers to care due to socioeconomic or other challenges. This grant will be used to support renovations to the organization’s Orange-based Health Center Plaza, specifically helping the center expand its operations and services into currently vacant areas of the building.

Outer Cape Health Services, Inc., Provincetown - $50,000
Outer Cape Health Services, Inc. serves the outer 10 towns of Barnstable County with primary care, behavioral health, specialty health, community-based care, supportive social services, and more. The organization will use this grant for upgrades and renovations to its Provincetown Health Center, which will include moving and expanding pharmacy operations to a different location within the health center.

Manet Community Health Center, Quincy- $50,000
Manet Community Health Center will use grant funds to build, equip, and furnish a radiology suite at the organization’s North Quincy location. 

Caring Health Center, Springfield - $47,725
Founded in 1995, Caring Health Center (CHC) operates facilities in Springfield’s South End, Forest Park, and Pine Point neighborhoods. CHC provides a complete range of primary, dental, and behavioral health/substance use recovery services to more than 19,000 low-income and chronically ill patients each year including refugees, immigrants, and people experiencing homelessness. CHC will use grant funds to buy equipment and supplies for its proposed chiropractic and physical therapy programs.

Community Healthlink, Inc., Worcester - $50,000
Founded in 1977, Community Healthlink, Inc. is a leading provider of mental health and substance abuse services in central Massachusetts and a leader in integrating primary and behavioral health care for individuals with serious mental illness. The organization will use this grant to demolish and rebuild the restroom at its location at 162 Chandler St. in Worcester, one of two community health center locations it operates in the city. This restroom is an important part of the organization’s Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project, which provides individuals experiencing homelessness with services and resources including hygiene products, fresh towels, and clothes.

Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, Inc., Worcester - $45,000
Founded in a Worcester housing facility in 1972, Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center,  Inc. (Kennedy Community Health) has three medical facilities, two dental sites, two optometry practices, and six school-based centers serving 27,000 residents of Worcester, Framingham, Milford, and surrounding communities in MetroWest and central Massachusetts. Kennedy Community Health recently bought a building in Worcester and is renovating it into a new health center; the organization will use this grant to buy and install tempered glass screens at three reception areas in the building.

MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2021, MassDevelopment financed or managed 416 projects generating investment of more than $1.86 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 6,578 jobs and build or preserve 1,909 housing units.