Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Community Health Centers

With all the focus on hospitals, it is easy to forget the important role of community health centers in the delivery of care, particularly in otherwise underserved urban and rural areas. BIDMC is affiliated with several community health centers in Eastern Massachusetts. Those centers provide primary care to their patients and refer them to our place if they need more advanced diagnoses or treatment. They are Bowdoin Street Health Center in Dorchester, Fenway Community Health, South Cove Community Health Center in Boston's Chinatown and in Quincy, Dimock Community Health Center in Roxbury, Joseph Smith Community Health Center in Brighton and Waltham, Sidney Borum Community Health Center in Boston, and Outer Cape Health Services in Provincetown and Welfleet.

Here is a wonderful story about UMMA Community Clinic in the poorest section of Los Angeles. They have a video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=kLiagBbSryY that is pretty inspirational.

If any of you have had great experiences at these community health centers or others, please post them. The staff at these places are extremely dedicated. Let's provide them some positive feedback and encouragement!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Paul,

I'm one of the founders of the UMMA Community Clinic in Los Angeles and currently on the Board. We were really honored that you would include a link to our video in your post about Community Health Centers.

I just wanted to provide you with the new link to the youtube video:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z_p9dU5s3vg

It's the same video, but the link has changed. Someone emailed us that they read about UMMA on your blog but couldn't access the video.

Great blog. I'll be visiting often!

Mansur Khan, MD,MPH
UMMA Community Clinic

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Mansur. I heard about your group from an Ismaili friend here. I was really impressed with your video and all that you and your colleagues have done. What a marvelous team you have there! Best of luck.

Anonymous said...

And, by the way, Eid Mubarek!