North End Waterfront Health (NEW Health), a federally funded health center and MGH affiliate, is seeking to open a satellite practice in the Bunker Hill Housing Development that will provide primary care, dental, and vision services.
NEW Health is hoping to open the Teammates Center at 13 Tufts St. this winter. The facility’s name reflects the longstanding relationship NEW Health has had with the Red Sox and “the teammates”: Bobby Doerr, Dominic DiMaggio, Johnny Pesky, and Ted Williams.
“We’re proud to once again be helping NEW Health bring its first-class healthcare to a needy population,” says Dick Flavin, the emmy-winning sports broadcaster who joined the teammates on the 1,300 mile car trip to visit Ted Williams, a story immortalized by David Halberstam in a book of the same name. “The health center has honored the teammates several times over the years so I’m happy to be working together once more.”
The proposed Teammates Center would enhance services already provided by MGH Charlestown, thereby extending high-quality healthcare to an underserved population in the community.
“North End Waterfront Health is proud to extend our comprehensive healthcare services to Charlestown,” says Jim Luisi, CEO of NEW Health. “Studies have proven that crime rates and domestic violence rates decrease when everyone in a community has access to medical care, so by reaching out to an underserviced group we hope to benefit all of Charlestown.”
NEW Health’s presence will soon be felt in other parts of Charlestown; the health center will begin operating Charlestown High School’s on-site student health center starting in the fall. Additionally, NEW Health’s state-of-the-art mobile dental van will park at Charlestown High several days a week, servicing students with dental needs.
“We’re looking forward to meeting with the Neighborhood Council and other Charlestown organizations to learn more about how we can best serve the community,” Luisi says. “We’ve been providing healthcare services on the other side of the bridge for more than 40 years, and we’re looking forward to extending our reach to Charlestown.”
North End Waterfront Health, formerly North End Community Health Center, has been operating from its 332 Hanover St. location in the North End since 1971.