Whittier Street Health Center Community Meeting Addresses Health Status of Roxbury

BOSTON - June 28, 2023 - PRLog -- Whittier Street Health Center (http://www.wshc.org), 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 recently hosted a well-attended community meeting where discussion focused on the current health status of Roxbury.

Whittier Street Health Center co-hosted the session in partnership with the Boston Public Health Commission and the CHNA-CHIP Collaborative, the latter of which is comprised of a group of Boston health centers, hospitals, community-based organizations and residents concentrated on achieving racial and ethnic health equity.

The open discussion addressed the need for continued and expanded community outreach and education to provide the necessary and comprehensive range of treatment and prevention services to low income minority and immigrant populations.

Community members attending the event were connected to health resources offered by the City of Boston, including the Boston Health Start Initiative (BHSI) which provides direct support to pregnant and parenting women, children, and families of color. Whittier Street Health Center is a designated BHSI site.

"The recent Health of Boston reports shows that the life expectancy gap of Roxbury residents has shown a slight improvement, but there remains a gap of 23 years when compared to the residents in Back Bay," said Frederica M. Williams, president and CEO of Whittier Street Health Center. "We need to continue our efforts to address the barriers to good health such as housing, food and economic insecurity while empowering our residents to engage in lifestyle changes and behaviors that will improve their health and quality of life. Having access to prevention, screening and treatment in addition to community investments in the social determinants of health can lead to better health outcomes. We are grateful to all who have supported our Boston Health Equity Program, which was launched in 2012, and look forward to expanding our health equity partnerships so we can continue to close the 23 year life expectancy gap."

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.