BPHC Announces $100,000 Grant for Boston Community Health Centers

The Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) announced Wednesday that it will award $100,000 in grant money to four Boston community health centers, largely to better serve residents of public housing developments.

The money, to be divided among Roxbury’s Whittier Street Health Center, the South End Community Health Center, Dorchester’s Upham’s Corner Health Center, and Southern Jamaica Plain Health Center, is anticipated to reach as many as 27,000 Boston Housing Authority (BHA) residents across 23 developments. According to an announcement from the BPHC, the funding is meant to address issues including food insecurity, access to fresh food, nutrition education, eating healthfully on a budget, and leadership development.

Mayor Marty Walsh praised the grant program in a statement:

“The people of Boston deserve the right to access affordable, quality healthcare. The community health centers provide those vital services to Boston residents, and these funds will enable them to stay ahead of the curve and continue developing innovative solutions to today’s pressing health challenges.”

BHA residents—who are 3.5 times more likely to experience obesity and its related complications than the overall population—have singled-out healthy food access as a priority issue in the past, making the BPHC’s grant a topical announcement. The organization is also behind Boston Moves for Health, an initiative aimed at making all Bostonians healthier and more active, and a variety of other public health programs.