Mass General Brigham announced Tuesday that a partnership between the nonprofit and North Shore Community Health has yielded a $150,000 grant to help patients in the region.
The purpose of the grant is to implement an electronic health-record system (EHR) at North Shore Community Health.
The technology will “enhance quality and help make care more efficient and streamlined, as the electronic systems will be linked to benefit patients,” Mass General Brigham said in a statement.
Mass General Brigham Chief Community Health Equity Officer Elsie Taveras, MD, MPH, further explained the value of an EHR in the same statement.
“Electronic health records are a critical virtual document that allows patients to see their medical history across the system and throughout their lifetime,” she said. “It improves efficiency, brings stronger communications, and improves care at every touchpoint.”
Mass General Brigham was a pioneer of EHRs, as the healthcare network was one of the first in the country to implement the technology. However, the funding of an EHR at North Shore Community Health represents only part of Mass General Brigham’s commitment to the organization, as it has pledged a grand total of $500,000 for various projects at North Shore Community Health. The remaining funding will go to support a walk-in urgent care clinic at Peabody Family Health Center, part of the North Shore Community Health network.
North Shore Community Health is a network of family health centers serving more than 13,000 patients at 10 total sites in the region, including three community sites and seven school-based sites. Services include primary care, behavioral health, dental, lab services, and other forms of care.
“This grant will allow us to better support our patients through better communication leading to improved health outcomes,” said President and CEO of North Shore Community Health Margaret A. Brennan, MPH. “We look forward to an ongoing partnership with Mass General Brigham.”
The partnership between North Shore Community Health and Mass General Brigham represents one facet of a $50 million investment by the health care network toward a “new, comprehensive community, and mental-health strategy to improve the health of the communities it serves,” according to the statement.
In addition to North Shore Community Health, Mass General Brigham has entered into partnerships with more than 20 similar organizations to bring about improvements to mental-healthcare capacity, workforce development, chronic disease management, nutrition security and other forms of health care equity. These community grants build upon Mass General Brigham’s existing $175 million annual community health investment program.
