East Boston Neighborhood Health Center is now testing 7 days a week!

The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center is now offering COVID-19 testing seven days a week to patients as well as community residents who have flu-like symptoms or have been in contact with someone who is COVID-19 positive. 

IMPORTANT: Community residents who are EBNHC patients must call EBNHC at 617-569-5800 to pre-register for screening and testing at our two new EBNHC patient testing sites. 

Patients who arrive at Suffolk Downs or 79 Paris Street without pre-registration will not be tested. 

Patients and non-patients can come to our 10 Gove Street Emergency Department and Influenza-Like Illness Clinic without pre-registering.

EBNHC Testing Locations:

New: 79 Paris Street, East Boston, walk-through location
8:00 am to noon daily
Pre-registration required: Call 617-569-5800

New: Suffolk Downs, Drive-thru location (by car only):
525 William F. McClellan Highway, Boston
1:00 pm to 5:00 pm daily
Pre-registration required: Call 617-569-5800

Emergency Department, open 24/7
Influenza Like Illness Clinic, open 7 days per week
10 Gove Street, East Boston 
Pre-registration not required

In addition to screening and testing, we are connecting community members to resources for food, housing, health, and safety. No one is asked about immigration status. 

Capuano: Healthcare for All

There are many opinions on the types of healthcare Americans should have access to. Republicans in Congress believe we’re all on our own. I believe we’re all in this together. And I firmly believe that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. That’s why I support single-payer healthcare: we need Medicare for all, and we need it now. 

Across our district, I’ve seen how important having health insurance is to thousands of people with preexisting conditions. I’ve seen how thankful so many are for the reforms of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that opened the door to coverage for millions for the very first time. And I’ve seen how much working families rely on our doctors, our hospitals, and our community health centers every day. That’s why I’ve worked so hard to bring home funding for programs like the Boston Public Health Commission’s REACH initiative that supports health education and preventive screenings. That’s why I co-founded the Community Health Centers Caucus in Congress to further support these centers and the work they do through the ACA. I’ve made community health centers a priority, working to secure funding so they could expand and increase services. 

Today, all of that the progress is under attack. The ACA is being ambushed like never before. Republicans have tried to repeal it. The Justice Department refuses to defend it in court. And Donald Trump continues to play games and try to sabotage Americans’ healthcare rather than work to improve it. 

Think about all we would lose if Donald Trump and the Republicans got their way. We’d go back to an America in which someone could be denied coverage they needed because of a preexisting condition, or where those who could not afford coverage were told they had to get by on their own. That is unacceptable. It would put the health of millions in jeopardy. And I am determined to fight those efforts every step of the way.

But we can go further than just defending the progress we’ve already made. It’s important to think about what comes next. And the next logical step to getting our healthcare system where it needs to be so every American has affordable, quality health care is through Medicare for all. I am a longtime supporter of Medicare for all and have been fighting for it in Congress. With resolve and commitment, I know we can make this important progress.

Every American deserves healthcare. It’s a basic human right. And as soon as Democrats take back Congress, I know we will be on our way to making it a reality. But I’m not giving up the fight for healthy communities here at home while we wait. I will not rest until we make sure that everyone in our neighborhoods has access to care, because we can’t just say that everyone has a right to health care -- we need to take action to make sure that they have access to affordable care.

Together, we can stand up to fight for the ACA and push for Medicare for all. It’s up to us to make sure our values are backed up by action. I’m not going to stop fighting for a healthcare system that is affordable, high quality, and universal. I hope you’ll join me in that fight.

Source: Capuano for Congress campaign

A couple of neighborhood assets! "Champions in Health Care," James O. Taylor and John P. Cradock of East Boston Neighborhood Health Center

The Boston Business Journal lauds as one of its "Champions in Health Care"
James O. Taylor and John P. Cradock,

The city of Boston has long been a leader in providing world-class health care, but back in the early 1970s residents of East Boston hardly benefited from the city’s medical reputation.
The neighborhood lacked primary care doctors, and its isolated location with limited access to the rest of Boston meant residents sometimes had to travel up to two hours via public transportation for treatment.

Community members wanted something better and envisioned a facility that would serve the area’s diverse population without sacrificing quality. Their efforts led to the creation in 1970 of the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center.

Dr. James O. Taylor worked with the first board of directors to help launch the center. John P. Cradock joined the center in 1978 as the administrative director. Their leadership has helped the EBNHC become a cornerstone of the East Boston community as well as a model for the delivery of health care services, all while providing a wide range of health-related services that have expanded dramatically during the past four decades.

Rita Sorrento, chairman of the center’s board of directors, dubs the pair the “dynamic duo.”

“It’s very appropriate, if you knew them personally. They complement each other,” Sorrento said. “And they’re both so compassionate and committed to our mission and to East Boston.”
Taylor and Cradock came to the health center with a passion for serving the underserved.

“What we share is a philosophy about how people should be cared for, and we both have a deep personal commitment to people who haven’t had a break in their lives, people who are underserved, or immigrants, the elderly,” Cradock said. “We both have the deepest commitment about making people’s lives better.”

For those of us who remember the old relief station on Porter Street as the only place to get health care quickly, the EB Neighborhood Health Center was a great gift when it was established in 1970. Thank you Dr. Taylor and Mr. Cradock!

James O. Taylor, MD of EBNHC to receive Samuel U. Rogers Achievement Award

An honor well-deserved for one of the "tireless footsoldiers in the Community Health Center Movement," East Boston's Dr. James Taylor. 

New EB Neighborhood Health Center medical building to break ground on June 14

EBNHC Maverick Square Groundbreaking Ceremony: Public Invited

EAST BOSTON, MA, June 8, 2010—The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center is thrilled to announce that we will break ground on a new medical building at 20 Maverick Square, East Boston, on Monday, June 14, 2010 at 11:00 a.m.

Governor Patrick and local officials will attend the groundbreaking and dedication ceremony. The public is warmly invited to join us.

Our new 49,000 square-foot ambulatory care facility will include clinical space for primary care, vision services, and dental care, as well as increased administrative offices. The beautiful new facility will anchor a revitalized Maverick Square and is expected to generate new investment in the area. The “green” building will be LEED certified, fully energy efficient, and has been designed to complement existing architecture.

The Maverick Square medical building project is funded in part by a $12M grant under the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) Facility Investment Program. The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center is deeply committed to realizing the intent of this grant: increasing health care access to those who need it desperately, creating jobs in the short and long term, and revitalizing a depressed area of East Boston.

The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) has been a vital part of the community for 40 years, providing easily accessible, high-quality health care to all who live and work in East Boston, Chelsea, Revere, Everett, and Winthrop, without regard to age, income, insurance status, language, culture, or social circumstances. EBNHC is among the largest community health centers in the country, providing 300,000 patient visits per year—more than any other ambulatory care center in the Northeast. From day one, the health center has operated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Today we are the only health center in New England, and one of the few in the country, to provide continuous care. We deliver 1,000 babies annually at Boston Medical Center and our Pediatrics Department cares for almost every child living in East Boston.