Special to the Sun
NeighborHealth and the Boston Community Health Collaborative (BCHC) gathered residents at the health center’s Maverick Square location in East Boston on Tuesday, July 8 for a Community Gallery Walk to present and discuss key findings from the 2025 Boston Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA). The CHNA is a community health improvement plan developed by BCHC, which is facilitated by the Boston Public Health Commission and convenes City departments, public health, healthcare, community based organizations, and Boston residents. The interactive event centered discussions on the local health data and community-driven solutions to help inform NeighborHealth’s health equity initiatives in 2026.
“Improving health across Boston requires a tremendous collaborative effort and, as the largest community-based primary care health system in Massachusetts, our partnership with the Boston Community Health Collaborative offers a data-driven roadmap for working together to address the root causes of health inequities,” said Jamie Hazard, Interim CEO and Chief Financial Officer of NeighborHealth.
The CHNA data identifies areas of strength and progress related to community health in Boston. It also provides community health centers with recommendations for improved outcomes based on data collected from surveys, focus groups and interviews with the local community.
Key insights from the assessment pertaining to NeighborHealth’s patient population were presented by Tibrine da Fonseca, PhD, Project Director of BCHC at the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and Maya Iona Nuñez, CHNA Project Coordinator at BPHC.
“The Boston Community Health Collaborative process identified key priorities to support the health and wellbeing of Boston residents – strengthening access to healthy foods, safe and affordable housing, creating more economic opportunities, and improving access to care,” said Tibrine da Fonseca, Project Director of BCHC at the Boston Public Health Commission.
The event provided a platform for collaboration as patients, community members, health professionals, and local leaders responded to the data. NeighborHealth’s leadership emphasized the collective call to action, urging stakeholders to build on partnerships and prioritize practical strategies, along with highlighting how the CHNA findings will inform their equity planning.
“We were heartened to see much alignment with the work we are doing and the needs brought forward in the assessment,” said Mimi Gardner, Vice President and Chief Equity Officer at NeighborHealth. “Partnerships will be essential to advancing and expanding that work. Through NeighborHealth’s Community Health Equity Council, we look forward to bringing residents, local nonprofits, schools, healthcare providers, and elected leaders together to continue tackling food, housing, behavioral health, and economic stability.”
As the event concluded, participants heard youth performances from the EASTIE Coalition, enjoyed light refreshments and engaged in a gift card raffle.