FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Nicole Joy Hales, PRfirst, 617-947-7983, nhales@prfirst.com

Whittier Street Health Center Offers School-Based Services

    Routine and preventative health care provided under medical supervision

ROXBURY and DORCHESTER, MA, ISSUED MAY 6, 2022…Whittier Street Health Center, a community health center with a mission to serve as a center of excellence that provides high quality and accessible health care and social services that achieve health equity, social justice, and the economic well-being of a diverse patient population, offers its School-Based Health Services team to bring accessible and culturally competent healthcare directly to local students.

Beyond supporting the educational development of children and adolescents, schools play a critical role in addressing racial and social inequity. The families Whittier serves rely on schools to provide child care; a safe, stimulating space for children to learn; opportunities for socialization; and access to school-based mental, physical, and nutritional health services.

Working in partnership with several schools including the Boston Day and Evening Academy, Dearborn STEM Academy and the Dudley Street Neighborhood Charter School, the Whittier School-Based team provides primary care, behavioral health, oral health and social services to support the health and wellness of the students.  The services of the Whittier School-Based Health Centers address the medical and mental health problems that frequently interfere with students’ academic success.

“Research shows that school-based health care increases educational success by providing necessary physical and mental health supports that allow students to stay in school and perform better academically,” said Frederica M. Williams, president and CEO of Whittier Street Health Center. “Our school-based services and partners work together to assure enrolled students have access to the information and services they need to remain healthy.”

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please email the School-Based Health Center team at schoolbasedhealthcenters@wshc.org or call 617-989-3212.

About Whittier Street Health Center

Whittier Street Health Center is an independently licensed community health care center with a mission of providing high quality, reliable and accessible primary healthcare for diverse populations while promoting wellness and eliminating health and social disparities. A champion of equitable access to high quality, patient-focused care, social justice and economic equity, Whittier Street Health Center is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC), certified by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as a Patient-Centered Medical Home, and recognized by the NCQA for its Behavioral Health Integration. Through its locations in Roxbury and North Dorchester, and its Mobile Health Van program, Whittier Street Health Center serves more than 30,000 patients and 20,000 community outreach visits annually; its ethnically and racially diverse patient base is primarily made up of individuals from Roxbury, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, the South End and greater Boston. Approximately 28% of Whittier’s patients are uninsured. Whittier Street Health Center provides a comprehensive array of 40 healthcare programs and services designed to meet the primary health care, behavioral health, and social needs of the community. For more information, please visit www.wshc.org as well as Facebook (www.facebook.com/WhittierStreetHealthCenter), Twitter (@Whittier_Boston), or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/whittier-street-health-center), or call 617-989-3221.