LCHC to mark National Health Center Week

LYNN – Lynn Community Health Center will join 49 other health centers in Massachusetts and more than 1,200 health centers nationwide in celebrating National Health Center Week, which begins today.The center is “proud to be a part of a larger picture that is addressing the health-care crisis at both the state and national levels,” said Cindy Steger-Wilson, LCHC marketing and communications director.The first community health center was established in Boston 50 years ago. Its mission was to provide accessible, affordable, high-quality access to health care for everyone, regardless of ability to pay.LCHC was founded in 1971 as a part of this movement, and remains committed to this mission, Steger-Wilson said.Today it is the third-largest health center in Massachusetts, and the largest primary care provider in Lynn. More than 39,000 individuals – more than 40 percent of Lynn residents – rely on LCHC for their care.Thursday, at 9:30 a.m., LCHC will hold a celebration in honor of National Health Center Week in the atrium of its 269 Union St. location. U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, state Sen. Thomas McGee, and others from the state delegation will be part of the program, which will focus on new beginnings. This fall chief medical officer Dr. Scott Early will depart, and Dr. Kiame Mahaniah will take his place.”Our health center was founded by visionaries who believed that medical care should focus on the whole person, and who dreamed that one day we would deliver fully integrated medical and behavioral health care,” said Lori Abrams Berry, Executive Director. “Scott took this vision and institutionalized it here at the health center in a way that has made it an integral part of our organizational mind-set.”We will miss him, but we welcome Dr. Mahaniah, who comes to us from the position of chief medical officer of North Shore Community Health Center. He is fiercely dedicated to social justice, to using all tools available to fight health disparities, helping those who live in the shadows of our communities receive care with the utmost respect.”At the close of the event, three pieces of original artwork from students at Raw Art Works will be unveiled. The work was done in July by the Raw WAM (Women Art Muralists) Team, a public art program that designs art pieces for businesses and community organizations.National Health Center Week at Lynn Community Health Center is generously sponsored by the GE Foundation.