BIDMC Community-based Health Initiative

Addressing Community Health Needs


People holding hands in a circle.BIDMC launched a Community-based Health Initiative to identify, prioritize, and address important community health needs. Through this initiative, BIDMC is funding local organizations to address select priority needs including housing affordability, jobs and financial security, and behavioral health. This multi-year process is guided by input from the communities BIDMC serves.

In 2019, BIDMC started the initiative through community engagement and assessment of the health needs and strengths in the City of Chelsea and the City of Boston, with a focus on1: Allston/Brighton, Bowdoin/Geneva in Dorchester, Chinatown, Fenway/Kenmore, Mission Hill, and Roxbury. BIDMC’s Community Benefits Advisory Committee, made up of community leaders and local residents, used the information gathered to identify health priority areas for the Community-based Health Initiative to address.

In 2020, an Allocation Committee comprised of BIDMC staff, BIDMC Department of Community Benefits representatives, a member of a Community Development Corporation or a similar organization, residents of the BIDMC Community Benefits Service Area, and local experts and representatives from the City of Boston, oversaw a public and competitive funding award process. For more information about the first round of funding awarded, visit the funded organizations page.

The next Community Benefits Advisory Committee meeting will be held virtually from 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm on December 10, 2024. If you would like to attend the meeting, please RSVP below.

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To register to receive updates about the Community-based Health Initiative, please complete the form below or email us with any questions or comments.

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1Given BIDMC’s historic focus on and continued commitment to the underserved, BIDMC will concentrate its efforts on the neighborhoods identified as having the greatest health needs within BIDMC’s Community Benefits Service Area. As a result, BIDMC’s focus areas for the Community-based Health Initiative are the City of Chelsea and the following City of Boston neighborhoods: Allston/Brighton, Bowdoin/Geneva in Dorchester, Chinatown, Fenway/Kenmore, Mission Hill, and Roxbury.