Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers

Provider shortages are critical have increased wait times across our entire health care system. For community health centers, these shortages make it harder to ensure high-quality care is accessible to our most vulnerable patients. We're grateful to Secretary Lauren Jones for visiting Caring Health Center, Inc. to hear firsthand about how workforce challenges affect our movement. The Mass League and its members will continue to work with the administration to support policies that expand the provider pipeline so that timely health care is accessible to all. Tania Barber The Massachusetts Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development (EOLWD) https://lnkd.in/eTndFpBk

We're proud to see so many community health leaders support the Boston Public Health Commission's efforts to close Boston's life expectancy gap.

This Women’s History Month, the Mass League is proud to recognize Paula Gómez for her work to better the health of her neighbors in the Texas Rio Grande Valley. In 1974, Paula started working as a researcher at the newly formed Su Clinica Community Health Center, that provided primary care to uninsured migrant farm workers and their families. The community was sick from the contaminated water supply, and babies commonly died before their first birthday. One day, a two-month-old patient died in Paula’s arms as she rushed him to a hospital. That devastating moment solidified her commitment to the health center movement. Paula was quickly promoted into leadership positions at Su Clinica, serving there for a decade before becoming Executive Director of nearby Brownsville Community Health Center. The Brownsville board offered her 20 percent less than the outgoing director made, insisting a childless woman didn’t need the money. Determined to make an impact and to prevent another infant from dying, she still took the job. Brownsville lacked equipment and infrastructure, and the local hospital often denied their patients, saying they “ruined the aesthetic”. Paula persisted and under her leadership, the health center expanded its services, formed a foundation to conduct environmental research, and sought national media coverage of their local infant mortality crisis. These efforts resulted in a Texas Birth Defects Registry, which for over thirty years, has helped researchers investigate patterns, identify causes of defects, and prevent future cases. Thank you, Paula, for your leadership in the health center movement. #WomensHistoryMonth

On National Doctor’s Day, we recognize the commitment and skill of the physicians who have made caring for others their life’s work. Naturally, community health center physicians hold a special place in our hearts. They provide high-quality care and go above and beyond to build trust with their patients. That trust is crucial to overcoming the social factors that affect their health.  This work happens every day, one patient at a time, and helps communities thrive. Our physicians are the heart and soul of our movement. Please join us in thanking our health center physicians for all that they do! 

Former State Rep. Demetrius Atsalis hits the nail right on the head in this morning's op-ed in the Boston Herald: "340B does an immense amount of good filling in the gaps in drug affordability." The 340B program was always meant to help safety net providers like community health centers and hospitals provide access to affordable medications and reach as many patients as possible. But this vital program is being undermined by pharmaceutical manufacturers and PBMs, divesting millions of dollars from the safety net here in Massachusetts. With Medicaid cuts threatening access and further destabilizing the safety net, it is more important than ever to protect the 340B program in Massachusetts and preserve access to affordable medications and services for all patients. https://lnkd.in/eDRN36eb

Last week, Lowell Community Health Center celebrated National Match Day by welcoming six new physicians who will make up the inaugural class of its Family Medicine Residency Program! This new program is part of a partnership between LCHC, Tufts Medicine, and Tufts University School of Medicine that offers rigorous, community-based training focused on clinical excellence and primary care. Congratulations to Paul, Priyan, Michelle, Parth, Frank, and Akua on getting matched. We wish you the very best of luck in you residency! https://lnkd.in/eWa9Pdt8 

We're proud to share that Michael Curry, Esq., Mimi Gardner, and Monica Vohra have been appointed to the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s Advisory Council for the 2026–2027 term. The Mass League and its members look forward to working with fellow Advisory Council members to advance solutions that improve health care affordability, access, and equity across the Commonwealth. Read the announcement: https://lnkd.in/e5yyFaWe Learn more: https://lnkd.in/edyNrfVQ NeighborHealth DotHouse Health

Jessie Collins Trice was a trailblazer in the community health center movement, founding Miami’s first federally qualified health center and increasing health care access across South Florida. Jessie committed herself to studying nursing after witnessing how segregation, poverty, and provider shortages made care inaccessible in her rural Georgia community. In the 1960s, she moved to Miami for her education and became the first Black graduate of the University of Miami’s nursing program. As a nurse, she provided affordable primary care to her neighbors out of a trailer. This operation grew into the Economic Opportunity Family Health Center. Jessie was fueled by her passion for helping vulnerable women and children to further expand the center to include daycare centers and a woman’s residential substance abuse program. Today, it is known as the Jessie Trice Community Health System (JTCHS) and has 16 sites across the region. Jessie’s leadership didn’t stop there. She founded the Trice Center for Learning and Health and the Miami-Dade Black Nurses Association and continued shaping the health center movement as board chair of the National Association of Community Health Centers and president of the Florida Association of Community Health Centers. Her dedication to supporting the medically underserved lives on, as the center she started continues delivering quality care to her community, regardless of ability to pay. We are proud to honor her legacy this #WomensHistoryMonth.

The Mass League is excited to share two new amazing hires on our Senior Leadership Team! Greg Wilmot has joined as our Interim Chief Operating Officer and Ellen Mahoney is our new Head of Talent Acquisition, overseeing Commonwealth Search Partners. Learn more about them below! Greg Wilmot - https://lnkd.in/eGvGC7h3 Ellen Mahoney - https://lnkd.in/eyMzf6HM

Did you know injectable treatments can help expand access to lifesaving HIV care? Join the Mass League and Codman Square Health Center at 12 PM on March 30 for practical strategies to implement HIV injectable treatments at community health centers. This long-acting treatment option can replace daily pills and is effective for maintaining viral suppression. Many patients report better quality of life and less fatigue from this kind of treatment. Injections can also improve adherence for patients with challenges taking daily medications and protect privacy for those who may face stigma storing HIV medication at home. Codman Square has successfully implemented this treatment and will share their experience and workflows. Register today: https://lnkd.in/e2HEAmsw