About Us
Community health
Boston Children's Hospital is the only hospital in Massachusetts with a singular focus on the unique health care needs of children.
This commitment to helping children stay healthy and safe goes far beyond our walls. At Children's, we believe that when children are healthy-- with access to quality and culturally responsive services, policies that promote good health, and programs that focus on prevention -- then our community will be healthier too.
Our strategy for community health, "Healthy Children. Healthy Communities." requires working with the community on the areas affecting Boston children.
To accomplish this, Children's is partnering with the community to merge the medical model of care (patient care, research, and teaching) with a public health model of care (prevention, education and advocacy), to provide a continuum of needed programs and services in these areas. The first step in meeting community health needs is "taking the pulse" of the community to discover what local health and health-related issues are most important. Towards that end, Children's regularly reviews public health data and receives community feedback. In addition, a comprehensive community needs assessment is conducted every three years.
At the same time, Children's is expanding advocacy efforts to ensure that children can access the services and programs they need. Using data and information generated from successful programs, the hospital is working with decision-makers such as legislators, insurers, providers and public health officials to "make the case" for broader acceptance and adoption of proven interventions and approaches.
For more information about how our community health programs impact Boston children and families, please contact Deb Dickerson.
