BIDMC's Community Health Centers
Providing Access to Quality Health Care
We believe that community health centers are in a unique position to provide accessible primary care and specialty services to medically underserved diverse inner city and rural communities.
One of the most successful "demonstration projects" of President Lyndon Johnson's War on Poverty, the community health center (CHC) movement began in Boston in 1965. Beth Israel Deaconess was involved in community health from the earliest days, helping in 1969 to lead the conversion of Roxbury's New England Hospital for Women and Children into the Dimock Community Health Center. Our strong commitment and support of CHCs continues today as health centers are a vibrant and critical part of BIDMC's care delivery system.
Six community health centers are affiliated with BIDMC, collectively providing care to over 120,000 patients throughout Greater Boston and Cape Cod. In 1997, BIDMC was instrumental in helping a group of health centers form the Community Care Alliance (CCA). By collaborating on clinical and administrative issues, CCA facilitates its members' delivery of high quality, cost-effective care by collectively contracting for services and funds, as well as sharing resources and expertise for the benefit of patients and communities.