Sierre Leone Native Frederica Williams at Boston’s Whittier Street Health Center Groundbreaking
(September 14, Boston, MA) — Whittier Street Health Center (Whittier) will nearly double the capacity of its services to Roxbury and surrounding communities through its new 78,000 square foot state-of-the-art health center that is scheduled to break ground on Tuesday, September 14, 2010, and be occupied by January of 2012.
The new state of the art health center will provide those most in need (and those normally who could not afford healthcare) with quality services designed to improve health and eliminate the disproportionately high rates of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, obesity, HIV/AIDS and violence that plague our community. There will be a Community Cancer Clinic that will bring cancer care directly to those most in need.
Building the new Center will create a mini-economic boon to the area with 450 construction jobs and 50 permanent full-time jobs, providing work opportunities to a community facing high poverty rates. Whittier has hired a diversity consultant to ensure that people living in the areas surrounding the Center will benefit from the new jobs.
“Whittier is part of the Boston Empowerment Zone, an area distinguished by its higher degree of poverty and whose residents are subject to considerable negative socio-economic and environmental risks to their overall health,” said Whittier President & CEO Frederica Williams. “The new center will expand its capacity by almost doubling the number of patient visits by 2015.”
The development of Parcel 3, the land that the new Whittier will be built, is significant as it is an area that has been in the works for over thirty years. It is the culmination of a joint effort by the community and state and city governments. Present at the September 14th Groundbreaking will be Governor Deval Patrick, Mayor Thomas Menino, and Massachusetts Congressman Mike Capuano.
“Whittier Street Health Center is a model for delivering patient-centered, quality health care in the community. And it plays a key role in the success of health care reform here in Massachusetts,” says Governor Deval Patrick, who advocated for Whittier’s application to the Obama Administration for $12 million in federal stimulus funds. “This grant enables Whittier to serve more people and create jobs. That’s good for the community on every level.”
Whittier was one of 49 health centers in the nation federally funded to provide care to public housing residents, receiving $12 million in stimulus funding from the Obama Administration in December of 2009. The facility, which will cost $35 million, will create 450 construction jobs and 50 permanent full-time jobs at the clinic itself, providing needed economic activity in an area that faces high poverty rates.
“The state-of-the-art Whittier Street Health Center will help ensure that residents in the Roxbury community who are most in need of care will have access to the services and resources they need,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “Whittier Street is a vital asset to this community and its increased capacity and services will have a tremendous impact on this neighborhood.”
With the new addition, Whittier will expand its capacity from its current 60,000 patient visits to 103,000 patient visits by 2015. It will now be able to treat up to 24,000 patients as opposed to its current 14,500 patient roster as well. The health center, which serves patients six days a week in nearly 20 different languages, works with the underserved in a number of communities including Roxbury, Mattapan, and Dorchester.
“Whittier Street Health Center and its dedicated staff provide critical access to care for thousands of Boston residents who may not otherwise receive the health services they need” said Gary Gottlieb, President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. “Both Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Partners HealthCare have had a long standing relationship with Whittier, and look forward to continuing to work together to improve health care in our local communities.”
The development team for the new Whittier is as follows: The architect is Domenach Hicks & Krockmalnic; the development consultants are GLC Development in partnership with Janey Inc. and KVA Associates. The Construction Manager is Suffolk Construction.
The new addition will be green and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified as well. This environmental-friendly approach will also result in a cost savings to the new center itself.
The Groundbreaking for the new building is Tuesday, September 14 at 10:30 a.m. at the site of the new facility (across from the current Whittier) which will be located at 1290 Tremont Street in Roxbury on Parcel-3, close to the Reggie Lewis Center at Roxbury College.
The new Whittier will be within walking distance of multiple subway stations, bus routes, and the five public housing developments for which Whittier is federally funded to provide primary care.
About Whittier Street Health Center
Whittier Street Health Center (www.wshc.org) is a Joint Commission accredited, private, non-profit, independently licensed community health center dedicated to providing high quality, reliable and accessible primary health care and support services for diverse populations to promote wellness and eliminate health and social disparities. Serving more than 14,500 clients with approximately 60,000 clinic visits and 20,000 community outreach visits annually, Whittier has a patient base which is ethnically and racially diverse and includes significant numbers of individuals from Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, the South End and Greater Boston. Whittier provides a comprehensive array of 30 healthcare programs and services designed to meet the primary health care, behavioral health, and social needs of the community.
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