Since its humble beginnings— from a makeshift “well-baby” clinic in a woodworking room in Bromley Hall to Bromley Heath Community Health Center—MEHC has evolved to become a stand-alone comprehensive health center providing pediatric primary care, along with adult, adolescent, OB/GYN, mental health, nutrition, optometry, HIV and early intervention services. Today, MEHC serves families living in JP, Mission Hill and other Boston neighborhoods.

As Children’s Hospital Boston’s community health center, MEHC stands shoulder to shoulder with Bromley-Heath Apartments, an enormous housing development with an estimated 1,000 units and 3,000 residents.

Initially, the health center was created to provide desperately needed pediatric and adult health care to the families living in Bromley-Heath. The creation of the health center instantly led to improved access to quality care. It was warmly welcomed by JP families, particularly those with children, who in the past would trek to Children’s for their pediatric care.

In 1967, the health center was named after Dr. Martha May Eliot, a well-known social pediatrician, who, for more than fifty years, took a leading part in the development of health services for mothers and children.

Located at 75 Bickford St. in the heart of Jackson Square, MEHC is housed in a 25,345 square foot stateof- the-art building with 21 patient exam rooms, optometry clinic, human services department, and administrative offices. More than 120 employees, consisting of physicians, nurses, therapists, nutritionists, social workers, and administrators, serve nearly 9,000 patients who will make an estimated 60,000 visits this year.

Jim Cote serves as MEHC’s Executive Director. A seasoned professional with deep local roots, Cote aims to support the health center’s current programs while continuing to provide training and development opportunities to its staff and assess the community’s needs and expand services and programs accordingly.

“Many of our patients come in with a barrier prohibiting them from accessing health care, whether it is language, economic or social,” he says. “We want to break down those stigmas. We want the community to know that we are Children’s Hospital Boston’s community health center so our patients receive the same level of care and service than they would at the hospital.”

MEHC expands its hours, adds new doctors
In order to provide the local community increased access to quality health care, Martha Eliot has recently expanded its hours and has welcomed three new doctors. MEHC will now be open earlier in the day and close later in the evening as well as being open certain Saturdays each month. For more information, visit us online at www.childrenshospital.org/mehc.

Getting into the fabric of the our community
Despite its growth and the many changes its neighborhood has undergone in the past 40 years, MEHC’s commitment and mission remain unwavering, and the center’s staff prides itself on caring for the vibrant, local community, consisting of African-Americans, Latinos, Somalis, Cape Verdeans and other ethnicities. Every year, MEHC proudly celebrates Black History Month and Hispanic Heritage Month. Every summer, the health center also hosts its annual Community Health Fair, as well as annual safety fairs, events which attract hundreds of local families from all walks of life.

“It’s about getting into the fabric of our community,” says Karen Darcy, a former co-executive director of MEHC.

“Building trust within the community is critically important. It’s why we have health fairs and conduct youth and adolescent outreach. We’re genuinely committed to the community and we’re involved in their tragedies, accomplishments and celebrations.”

MEHC weaves a community fabric against violence
Boston’s inner-city violence epidemic is all too familiar to staff members of Martha Eliot Health Center (MEHC). Through their mental health and social service programs, MEHC has long supported patients with complex challenges involving physical and mental violence, as well as with housing, hunger and substance abuse. According to a recent report conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health, two-thirds of Boston high school students said they’d witnessed violence in the past year.

In order to support victims of violence, MEHC, Children’s Hospital Boston and more than a dozen other organizations serving the Jamaica Plain neighborhood, including faith-based organizations, schools, housing developments and teen support programs, have formed the Trauma Response Team. By communicating with the Boston Police Department and closely monitoring news reports, the team will seek out victims, their families, neighbors, loved ones and witnesses after a violent act occurs to give them prompt emotional and psychological support.

“Through this initiative, we envision children who are exhibiting signs of stress to be identified early by a teacher, health care provider or parent and get them help,” says Jean Wilkinson, PhD, director of Human Services at MEHC.