$3.3 Million Awarded to Support Community Health Centers

Boston funds health centers on the front lines of a coming coverage crisis as part of the City's Live Long and Well Agenda

Thursday, September 10, 2026 - Mayor Michelle Wu and Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) are awarding $3.3 million to support community health centers ahead of increased demand and financial strain from federal cuts to Medicaid. According to MassHealth, starting in October hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents will be at risk of gradually losing health insurance coverage because of new federal Medicaid requirements. In January 2027, MassHealth projects that new federal work and education requirements alone will impact around 40,000 Boston residents, leaving them at risk of losing coverage. About 40% of those individuals live in Dorchester and Roxbury with another 20% residing in Hyde Park, South End, and Mattapan. Since community health centers see all patients regardless of income and insurance status, many will likely go to health centers for care, causing health centers to see more patients while receiving less payments for services.

"With many of our residents' access to healthcare under attack by the federal administration, Boston must rally behind our community health centers, now more than ever," said Mayor Michelle Wu. "Our community health centers are trusted providers who deliver high-quality care to all residents, regardless of who they are or how much they make. Investing in our health centers is an investment in access for everyone in Boston to live a long and healthy life."

Because of these inequitable impacts, Mayor Wu and Boston Public Health Commission are providing support to 10 health centers as part of the City's Live Long and Well population health equity agenda. Live Long and Well focuses on addressing health inequities and closing the stark gap in life expectancy between Boston neighborhoods. The three leading causes of early death in Boston (cardiometabolic diseases, cancer, and unintentional drug overdoses) disproportionately impact communities of color; and Dorchester, Roxbury, and Mattapan experience the greatest health disparities. This funding will help support health centers that serve disproportionately impacted residents with staffing, operations, and interventions that address conditions that result in premature death, including keeping people connected to health care.

"As a city, we are committed to closing the 23-year life expectancy gap that exists between neighborhoods, and we need our community health centers to accomplish this goal," said Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, Commissioner of Public Health for the City of Boston. "Community health centers are the front door to care, and they are being asked to hold that door open as federal cuts strip coverage from around 40,000 of our residents. An increase in uninsured patients does not mean a decrease in the number of patients needing care. It means more people arriving sicker, later, with conditions we could have managed years earlier. Funding like this will help keep the doors of community health centers open."

Financial support for health centers is vital, and many are still trying to recover from revenue losses and staffing shortages from the COVID-19 pandemic. Because of this, Boston Public Health Commission set aside $3.3 million from its last year of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to support health centers. Ten community health centers will each receive $300,000 to support existing staff, increase access to health insurance coverage, and enhance staff capacity. An additional $300,000 will go to the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers to support these health centers in improving long-term financial stability.

"As a trusted health care provider for one in two Boston residents, community health centers have played major roles in Boston's response to the COVID-19 pandemic, closure of Carney Hospital, and our most persistent public health challenges. With so many of our most vulnerable residents set to lose Medicaid coverage in 2027, it is critical that our health centers have the resources necessary to meet even greater health care needs," said Michael Curry, President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. "The Mass League is immensely grateful to Mayor Wu and the Boston Public Health Commission for understanding how vital community health centers are in this moment and ensuring they are in the best position possible to care for our city moving forward."

The selected community health centers are:

• Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program

• Charles River Community Health

• Codman Square Health Center

• The Dimock Center

• DotHouse Health

• Harbor Health Services

• Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center

• Mattapan Community Health Center

• NeighborHealth

• Whittier Street Health Center

"At DotHouse Health, we see every day how deeply health inequities shape the outcomes of patients living with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and other cardiometabolic conditions. Those disparities are at risk of widening as many patients face uncertainty about their health insurance coverage. This funding will allow us to strengthen and scale a team-based approach to improving cardiometabolic health that includes clinicians working alongside community resource specialists and staff dedicated to helping patients enroll in and maintain insurance coverage. By investing in both care and coverage, we can reduce disparities in cardiometabolic health and help our patients stay healthy. We are deeply grateful to Mayor Wu and the Boston Public Health Commission for this investment in health equity," said Dr. Monica Vohra, Chief Medical Officer at DotHouse Health.

"Health center patients deserve the same support as all patients in managing chronic conditions like diabetes," said Dr. Klavdia Brisson, Chief Clinical Officer at Charles River Community Health. "This support will help us engage more intensively with patients who only see their primary care physician one to two times a year and have A1c levels of 9, 10, 11, or higher, which puts them at extreme risk of debilitating complications."

"This supplemental funding allows Whittier Street Health Center to expand our Mobile Health Program at a critical moment for the communities we serve," said Frederica M. Willams, President and CEO of Whittier Street Health Center. "By bringing services directly into neighborhoods and strengthening partnerships with community organizations, we can keep more residents connected to the screenings and preventive care that protect long-term health and reduce the barriers that too often stand between patients and the care they need and deserve. We are grateful for this investment in health equity from Mayor Wu and the Boston Public Health Commission - one that speaks directly to the well-being of Boston's most vulnerable individuals and families."

Even though this $3.3 million is a one-time fund, it is not the only time Boston Public Commission provides financial assistance to community health centers across the city. In May 2023, BPHC awarded $1.4 million from ARPA funds to seven organizations who experienced revenue losses and increased demand during the COVID-19 pandemic. BPHC also provides annual support to community health centers in Boston through its annual City appropriation and other grant funds.

• Published by: Boston Public Health Commission