Happy summer! The past few months at BCP have been incredibly busy, and we are excited to share some of our latest updates. We have continued to see patients and their families in the office and offer COVID vaccination and testing. The CDC recently approved the vaccine for children under the age of 5, so we have been busy vaccinating BCP's youngest patients! BCP continues to run our own wellness programming, including the very popular BCP Nutritious cooking class. We have a lot of wonderful programming planned for the summer as well. We have also been partnering with community organizations to deliver health education and mental health consultation, and we recently received some exciting recognition from Boston Common Magazine and The Boston Globe. Finally, we just celebrated our one (plus!) year anniversary with a big event, and it was incredible to finally see so many of BCP’s supporters in person.
As always, we are so grateful for your support and partnership as we work to transform pediatric healthcare. We would love to show you our office at 527 Albany Street - please come visit this summer!
xo, The BCP Team
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Alicia-Sky, one of BCP’s incredible patients, recently graduated from 8th grade at Roxbury Prep! She is a dedicated student and we are so proud of her hard work in and out of the classroom. In addition to being an academic superstar, Alicia-Sky has worked really hard over the past few years on her emotional well-being. She has been seeing one of BCP's mental health clinicians, Renee Garand, and has described how excited she is about her growth in this area. She also mentioned what an important role the BCP team has played in her overall health and development. Outside of school, Alicia-Sky loves spending time with her family, listening to music, and drawing. She is even learning how to play the electric guitar! She will be spending the summer working at the YMCA before heading to high school in the fall. BCP is so excited for all that Alicia-Sky has ahead of her, and we are honored to be part of her support network. |
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Yainnix is another inspiring BCP patient! Yainnix just graduated from Beacon Academy and she will be attending Darien High School in the fall. At Beacon Academy, Yainnix played on several sports teams and her favorite by far was tennis! She also developed wonderful relationships with teachers and friends. Yainnix loved the emphasis that the school placed on community, and she is grateful to the Beacon Academy faculty and staff for pushing her out of her comfort zone and helping her become more vocal and confident. Yainnix also expressed her gratitude for the BCP team. She said, “BCP means a lot to me because Dr. Riseberg has been there for me and all my siblings. She is just awesome. She is always looking out for my family and me, and she also helped me apply to Beacon Academy.” This summer, Yainnix will be going on a bike trip to Canada through a Beacon Academy program, and then she will be visiting her family in El Salvador. We are immensely proud of Yainnix and all of her accomplishments, and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with her at BCP. |
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We're Vaccinating Kids 5 and Under! |
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Following the CDC’s approval of COVID-19 vaccination for children older than 6 months, BCP immediately began administering the Pfizer vaccine for eligible patients! Three doses of the Pfizer vaccine leads to the greatest protection against the virus. At BCP, we will continue to have the vaccine readily available for patients and their families. Vaccination remains effective for combatting the long-term effects of COVID-19, and vaccination of this specific age demographic will help the nationwide effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.

BCP’s intersectional model of care fosters a sense of trust between patients and providers, and it is this relational approach that has driven our successful COVID vaccination rate for older age groups. Our vaccination rate is 61% for ages 5-11 and 81% for ages 12+. These rates remain significantly higher than the city-wide data. We continue to commit to educating patients and families on the benefits of receiving the vaccine, and we are thrilled to now begin vaccinating those under 5.
Dr. Riseberg has been on two nationwide zoom calls about the vaccine - one with Neighborhood Villages and one with Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley at her Virtual Town Hall. We know that patients and the community have questions and at BCP, we will spend the time listening and having conversations with families.
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We Celebrated (finally!) Our One Year Anniversary! |
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Earlier this month, we celebrated Boston Community Pediatrics’ One (plus!) Year Anniversary! We commemorated one year of working to bring equity to pediatric healthcare with a wonderful gathering of BCP families, staff, and supporters. The event was held in the beautiful Artists for Humanity space in South Boston, and we raised over $700,000 for BCP! This generous support will allow us to continue to care holistically for all of our patients, regardless of socioeconomic status or background. At our anniversary event, we heard from Leslie Lopez and Trevor Schwartz, parents of BCP patients, as well as Dr. Gloria White-Hammond and Robert Lewis Jr. and BCP's Founder, Dr. Robyn Riseberg.
We are so grateful to all those who were able to attend the event and those supporting us from afar. BCP’s work would not be possible without your investment in our mission and commitment to changing the way healthcare is delivered to all families. We also would like to extend a special thank you to our host committee and sponsors for making the evening such a success!
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Anniversary Event Artwork |
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One of BCP's teen patients made some incredible art for the event! These beautiful patient portraits served as table centerpieces during the gathering. |
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Some of our teen patients also worked the community art station, where they helped event attendees design tiles that will become part of a community art mural at BCP. We are so thankful for their artistic talents and support! |
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We Participated in Girls on the Run! |
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BCP's Girls on the Run team had a phenomenal spring season with our biggest team yet! The team began their biweekly practices on March 28, 2022 and completed the season by crossing the 5k finish line on June 11. This dedicated group of girls and coaches, ranging from 3rd grade to 5th grade, coupled physical activity with social and emotional development. They furthered their mind - body connection in accordance with the Girls on the Run three part curriculum: understanding ourselves, valuing relationships and teamwork, and recognizing how we can shape the world.
At the end of each season, the girls reflect on what they have learned from this program. Here's one example of how impactful this program is!
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We Are Getting Recognized! |
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The Boston Common Magazine recently released their 2022 Power List, a list of 47 people who are making a difference in Boston. We are so excited to share that our founder, Dr. Robyn Riseberg, has been recognized as one of these influential people.
BCP is proud of Dr. Riseberg's visionary leadership and tireless work to make pediatric healthcare more equitable. Please join us in congratulating her on this incredible recognition!
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BCP continues to provide activities for all age groups, including our very popular weekly cooking class. During BCP Nutritious, families cook together and patients learn fundamental cooking skills, nutrition education, and meal preparation. During the months of June and July, cooking classes will be supported by our new summer intern, Emily Murphy. We plan our recipes based on the Massachusetts Harvest of the Month Club. So far in June, we’ve made recipes that feature strawberries including quesadillas with strawberry salsa, strawberry & yogurt parfaits with homemade granola, and fruit tarts! In July, we plan to feature recipes with cucumbers! Delicious! |
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We Were Featured in The Boston Globe! |
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In April, BCP was featured in The Boston Globe! In A Letter to the Editor, BCP wrote about the importance of taking a holistic approach to healthcare and addressing physical health, mental health, and the social determinants of health as we care for patients. BCP was grateful for the opportunity to share our voice, "Ultimately, in order to address the social determinants of health, we must treat each patient the way we would want to be treated."
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We Got Involved in the Community! |
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As part of our Hyperlocal Community Initiative, which brings healthcare into communities to meet families where they are, BCP has partnered with a number of local community organizations to promote health and wellness. In April we partnered with WinnCompanies and had a very successful yoga and smoothie event at Madison Park Village. BCP also partnered with United South End Settlements and their early childcare and after school programs, to deliver interactive programming for parents focused on difficult toddler behaviors and bullying in older kids. Finally, we did a workshop on fueling your body with The BASE, an organization that uses sports as a vehicle for community empowerment. We loved talking with student-athletes about nutrition and its connection to optimal sports performance.
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BCP knows how important reading is for child development and education. At BCP, providers give all kids books and model reading for parents and families at each well child visit through age 6 with the support of Reach Out and Read. To further support families and children, BCP created BCP Reads, a weekly online reading group which engages patients one step further. In this program, college volunteers read with BCP patients, share their love for books, and involve patients in other academic activities, all over zoom. At BCP, being invested in equitable healthcare means being invested in the educational growth and academic success of all of our patients, and our collaboration with BCP Reads has helped patients work toward their literacy goals.
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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA! |
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