Dear Friends,

To begin, I want to thank all of you for your continued support of Whittier Street Health Center as well as the well-being of our patients and staff. The summer passed quickly, but it was a busy, joyous time at Whittier! One of our highlights over the past months is being a proud recipient of Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell's $1.5 million grant to support Maternal Health Equity in Massachusetts. This grant allowed us to re-launch our CenteringPregnancy Group visits, a group care model that integrates health assessment, education, and support and decreases the rate of preterm and low weight babies, increases breastfeeding rates, and leads to better pregnancy spacing. Research shows that maternal mortality in the US is the highest of any developing country. Black women are over three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. In MA, Black Non-Hispanic women are 1.9 times more likely to die during pregnancy or within one year postpartum than white Non-Hispanic women. Working in partnership with our patients, partners and dedicated team, we hope to close the gaps in maternal health in the communities we serve.

We hosted our annual Whittier Youth Summer Enrichment Program, Back to School BBQ where we donated free school supplies to children under 18, celebrated National Health Center Week in August, opened our new, onsite pharmacy, hosted our second-annual Caribbean Festival, launched our Corporate Community Engagement Volunteer Program, started a Weight Management Support Group for patients, expanded access to nutritious and culturally appropriate foods in our Food Pantry and Teaching Kitchen, offering 3-D Printer oral health services, and co-hosted a health session with the Boston Public Health Commission & CHNA-CHIP Collaborative about the need for community outreach to close the 23-year life expectancy gap for Roxbury residents.

We are also preparing for our annual Women for Whittier Holiday Tea event which will be on December 12th from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. to address the continued inequities for women and families— the theme this year is Women's Rights in 2023: Challenges, Opportunities, and Perspectives.



On October 13^th from noon to 2pm, we will host our annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. The theme this year is: Prioritizing Health: A Prescription for Prosperity, Power and Progress!

Honored in Boston Globe piece, Celebrating Boston's Black Business Leaders:

In August for Black Business Month, I was recognized by the Boston Globe for my work, leadership, and advocacy for health equity and social justice for all— especially vulnerable, low-income, immigrant, refugee, and BIPOC communities.

This piece was a great reminder to all that acknowledging and appreciating black-owned businesses across the nation should be celebrated year-round for their social and economic importance.

Whittier's Engagement Center and Substance Abuse Programs: Efforts to Address Opioid Overdose Epidemic:

Graph Courtesy of Massachusetts Department of Public Health

Last year in Massachusetts, six and a half people, on average, died each day from overdoses, according to state data estimates. This is a 2.5% increase in deaths from the prior high in 2021, according to state data.

Massachusetts Department of Public Health recently reported that the most dramatic increase among racial groups (42%) was among Black residents, while Native Americans had the state’s highest overall per-capita rate of overdose deaths by far.

Our pharmacy has been providing Narcan, free of charge, to patients and community residents to support a healthier community and help end the opioid overdose epidemic.

Treatment is possible! As the rates of opioid disorders have increased, we are seeing increases in patients who are engaged in treatment. Our Recovery Team are a dedicated team of caregivers with lived experiences and a deep dedication to support our patients through their recovery journey.

Our Engagement Center for the Homeless and Substance Abuse programs have put forward their best efforts to address the high rates of opioid related deaths. These programs provide patients linkage to medical, behavioral health, recovery services and social services. Additionally, the Engagement Center offers a range of daily activities that can help those who are experiencing opioid use disorder and homelessness, such as harm reduction workshops, mental health screenings, behavioral health workshops, and more. For additional information, please contact: EngagementCenter@wshc.org or call (617) 858-2460.



Our It Takes a Village Campaign, launched in 2017, has worked towards opioid abuse prevention through education, policy change, intervention strategies, and a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to manage chronic pain. The Whittier team is hyper aware of this unfortunate rise and is putting forth our best, strongest efforts to lower the rates of opioid related deaths.

Whittier Youth Summer Enrichment Program:

Our future leaders had so much fun at our Youth Summer Enrichment Program! From July 10th to August 18th, the youth learned so much and participated in programs that develop lifelong skills, build independence, resilience and team work. They also learned karate, how to make kale chips, led their own comic book class, and more. To address the high rates of food insecurity in children, we provided free meals during the program and takeout food for dinners.

We enjoyed having our future leaders at Whittier this summer. I am impressed with their curiosity, boldness, intelligence and resilience! It is our privilege to nurture the next generation of future scientists, CEOs, public health experts, providers and any career of interest. Representation matters and having exposure to the diverse team at Whittier gives them hope for their bright future.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this summer so enjoyable and engaging for the kids— we can't wait for next summer!

Addressing Food Insecurity:

More than 50% of our patients report being food insecure. We launched our Prescription for Health program to screen patients for risk factors including food and housing insecurity. Food insecurity is linked to negative health outcomes in children and adults, and it may cause children to have trouble in school. We are serving more than 500 unique families each month in our Food Pantry and distribute food to our satellite program. We have significantly expanded our Food Distribution programs and partnerships to provide access to healthy foods.

WSHC Grant Recipient of Attorney General Campbell's $1.5 Million Maternal Health Equity Grant:

On August 15th, Attorney General Campbell hosted a press conference at our health center to announce a $1.5 million grant funding to support Maternal Health Equity in the state. Whittier is a proud and grateful recipient of a $150,000 grant that will be used to reduce maternal health disparities & unnecessary health care spending through our culturally competent services.



Our goal is to reduce these disparities by providing preconception support, prenatal care through our Centering Pregnancy program, Postpartum support services, behavioral health support & patient & family education & engagement. We will also address the Social Determinants of Health that are barriers to good health: transportation, housing, food, childcare, jobs & immigration status.

We are so grateful to the Attorney General's Office for their partnership and support!

CenteringPregnancy Program:

As part of our efforts to address maternal health equity, and with the support from the Attorney General's Office, we have re-launched our successful culturally sensitive CenteringPregnancy Group visits. This group care model consists of eight to twelve women, who are in similar gestational ages in a group that meets for a total of 10 sessions to learn care skills, develop a support network, and more. Some benefits of CenteringPregnancy includes better health outcomes, self-care and self-confidence, more time with your provider, community building, learning through fun and support after pregnancy.

Being in a safe space with women who have similar experiences is empowering while normalizing their pregnancy journey and concerns. If you want to learn more or join a group, please call 617-989-3194.

2023 Back to School BBQ:

On August 11th, we hosted our annual Back to School BBQ – free for all patients and families – which was full of summertime fun, laughs, good food, and, of course, free school supplies for children under 18!



Parents and kids alike enjoyed a great afternoon in the sun at our BBQ– which is always a great event to kick off the new school year.

Our NEW 3-D Printer and Expanded Oral Health Services:

Whittier recently added 3-D Printer technology to our dental services! This allows our staff to produce occlusal mouth guards on site at a steeply discounted rate to patients— starting at $50 compared to the typical $300 cost from an off-site lab.

With this new service, we aim to prevent Bruxism— teeth clenching, grinding, and subsequent fractures, which is linked to stress and other tough socioeconomic factors— as well as other oral health issues for our patients. Additionally, this upgrade allows our team to produce dental crowns in one day which frees up more time for them to serve and care for patients.

Weight Management Support Group:

In August, Whittier started a new Weight Management Support Group to help patients who are experiencing difficulty losing weight. This group is by referral only, but patients can speak with one of our doctors or registered dietitian to start their health journey.

The group meets every first two Tuesdays of the month at 5:30pm and the last two Fridays of the month at 3:30pm. Our Weight Management Support Group will help patients improve eating habits, lose weight, and keep it off!

Whittier's NEW On-Site Pharmacy:

Our expanded onsite pharmacy opened in July and our team is dedicated to prioritizing the health of our community! The team offers prompt service, medication therapy management, free medication delivery, and more. At Whittier, our health is our top priority!

Narcan is also available to patients, free of charge. 

The Whittier Street Health Pharmacy hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sunday. For more information, contact the pharmacy at 617-606-3777.

Thank you all for your continued support! With your partnership, support, and the dedication of our colleagues, patients and the communities we serve, HEALTH EQUITY, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND ECONOMIC EQUITY IS ACHIEVABLE!

Warm regards,

Frederica Williams

President and CEO