Mattapan Community Health Center

MISSION The mission of Mattapan Community Health Center is to improve the quality of life for residents of Mattapan and surrounding communities by providing comprehensive, accessible, affordable, and culturally appropriate community health care services, including primary and preventive health care services. They are committed to: -Providing high quality, comprehensive, linguistically and culturally appropriate primary and preventive health care services for diverse populations. -Assuring access to high quality and affordable community health care services. -Improving the health status of residents in Mattapan and Hyde Park with a focus on the underserved and vulnerable populations, through health promotion, advocacy and the provision of primary health care services. -Serving all uninsured and underinsured individuals in our service area regardless of ability to pay. -Working collaboratively with hospitals, health, social, and community entities to maximize resources for patient services. DESCRIPTION Mattapan Community Health Center (MCHC) is a comprehensive health delivery organization that serves patients from the Mattapan, Dorchester, Roxbury and Hyde Park neighborhoods of Boston, as well as adjacent suburbs like Brockton, Randolph and Stoughton. The Health Center was established in 1972 as the Avenue Neighborhood Health Center. It was incorporated in 1974 and the name was changed to Mattapan Community Health Center. The Health Center is governed by a board whose members are representatives of the communities served by the health center. MCHC was one of the first health centers in the country to receive federal funding under the Carter Urban Health Initiative. Today, the federal grant remains a major source of funding to support the Health Center's health services for the underserved. The organization also operates a School-Based Health Center at Hyde Park High School. IMPACT Our service population is primarily Black/African Americans, including a large percentage of Caribbean immigrants. More than 7,000 patients are served annually with an experienced leadership team and culturally diverse staff. The Mattapan community has some of the most serious health problems in Boston. A Community Health Report Card tracks key health indicators in our community. Since 1997, MCHC with community partners has implemented two annual initiatives to address community outreach and funding needs. They are: Health Care Revival, a faith-based initiative with international recognition through a peer-reviewed publication, American Journal of Public Health, February 2002, and Rock the Boat, a fundraising gala to support our preventive health programs and services. The Health Center is a founding partner of the Boston HealthNet, and is affiliated with Boston Medical Center and Brigham & Women’s Hospital/Partners HealthCare. Partnerships continue to enhance MCHC’s ability to deliver comprehensive and quality community health care services.