LYNN — Gather Health, a Boston-area primary care group, opened its second location at the end of August at 50 Boston St.
Gather Health opened its first location in Quincy during the fall of 2023 and its Dorchester and Brockton locations are open to patients. It was co-founded by CEO Dr. Brent Asplin, Rob Pahlavan, and Dr. John Loughnane.
Gather Health serves patients 65 years and older, many of whom are eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. Patients do not have to be from Lynn to access the Lynn location.
Dr. Asplin said part of the idea for Gather Health came from his time working in emergency medicine. He saw patients who came to the emergency room repeatedly because they did not have access to primary care.
“We’re going to the neighborhoods that have had the biggest struggle with access to primary care,” he said. “We want to provide access and we think we have a unique and innovative model that is not only going to provide a great experience and great outcomes, but lower cost.”
The health center is unique because it addresses social care by developing a community with the patients, providing in-home care, and using technology to assist care, Dr. Asplin said. The center is equipped with a community room to address issues such as loneliness, medical facilities to meet with a primary care provider, and a team to connect patients with more care in the community.
The healthcare workers with Gather Health have been to more than 80% of their patient’s homes, he said.
“They’ll do a safety assessment in the home, they can do medication review, and then they’ll help set up the technology to do a virtual visit with…(a) primary care provider,” Dr. Asplin said.
Gather Health’s in-home technology platform, Gather Connect, helps care providers track their patient’s blood pressure, glucose levels, and other biometrics from their home, he said.
“We will see patients much more frequently than traditional primary care because our whole goal is to help people stay out of the hospital and spend more time doing the things they love with the people they love,” Dr. Asplin said.
Center Operations Manager Krista Merrihew said she does not speak Spanish, but most of the staff are from Lynn and speak Spanish.
“One of the things we try to do is hire people from the community to take care of the community,” Dr. Asplin said. “A big goal of ours is to really not only serve patients in these communities, but also be part of the business community — be an employer and hire people to help support their neighborhood.”
“I always say, ‘Think of every patient as your grandparent, and what would you do for your grandparent or your mom, and do it,’” Merrihew said.
