If we lived in a world with a perfect health care system, all children and adults would get the care they need. Our children and our communities would be healthier.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. In the real world, there are barriers that keep children and families from receiving even the most basic health care services. Children’s Hospital Boston is working to overcome these barriers.
For some families, the barrier is the lack of resources to pay for medical care or insurance. Children’s believes that no child in the state should be turned away due to the inability to pay.
In fact, we are the largest provider of medical care to low-income children in Massachusetts—a third of the children who come to us are uninsured or have public coverage.
Social issues are another barrier. Not every culture looks at health care the same way and language differences can make communication difficult. Children’s provides comprehensive, culturally appropriate care to Boston children and families through our Adolescent Medicine Department, Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center and our own Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC) in Jamaica Plain.
Children's Hospital Boston
is the largest provider of
medical care to low-income
children in Massachusetts. |
Many children and families in Boston also have trouble accessing vital mental health services. Children’s Department of Psychiatry provides more than 14,000 outpatient and emergency visits annually at our main campus and at MEHC. We also provide direct care in schools, community health centers and community settings to reach more children in need of services.
Children’s will always work to break down the economic, cultural and social barriers that keep children and their families from accessing health care. We’ll continue to bring our services directly to children and families in their homes, schools and communities. |
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For many years, children in the Boston area received much of their basic care in emergency rooms. While visiting the emergency room is often urgent and needed, it does not help prevent health problems.
Children’s Hospital Boston has always believed that primary care is the building block for the well-being of all children. In 1972, the Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center (CHPCC) opened as a ‘medical home’ for Boston children. Monitoring health through key stages of growth and development and addressing the economic and cultural needs of families are vital parts of CHPCC.
Today, CHPCC is the largest provider of pediatric care to children in the city, with an estimated 65 percent of the center’s 11,000 patients living in the Boston neighborhoods of Mission Hill, Roxbury and Dorchester. The center provides prevention and educational programs to meet the health needs of children and families.
CHPCC is also a place of learning where pediatric residents, fellows and medical students are training to become the next generation of leaders in child health. |
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The Proud Mamas
Meet the Proud Mamas
(above), a team of 14 extraordinary women who take part in Rowing Strong, Rowing Together (RSRT), a program that introduces rowing to young mothers.
The Proud Mamas are sponsored by the Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center and the Young Parent’s Program. Through practice and teamwork, these young women are staying fit and active, building self-esteem and making long-lasting friendships.
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