In 1968,
several committed community residents joined forces to assess the health care
needs of their neighbors in Allston/Brighton. The group, under the dynamic
leadership of Allston resident Joseph M. Smith, took to the streets and talked
with residents about their health care needs and their difficulties finding
appropriate care. In the course of his investigations, he discovered that many
Allston/Brighton residents had no access to comprehensive health care services.
The community lacked affordable providers and services for its residents; a
very basic need in the community was unmet.
The group
began planning a center which would provide residents across the entire life
spectrum with a superior facility for all of their health care needs. The
group's vision was realized in 1974 when JMSCHC opened its doors to serve the
community with compassionate, comprehensive services. In a similar response to
a serious community need, in 2004 the Center opened a site in Waltham to fill
the vacuum left by the closing of Waltham Hospital. In the spring of
2008, expanding its reach into the community still further, the Center opened
satellite sites at the Jackson-Mann Complex and Gardner Pilot Academy, both in
Allston, to provide services to the schools' student and parent populations, as
well as their staffs. Now, in late 2008, the health center is about to
open its stand-alone Vision Center, located across the street from the Allston
facility, to meet increasing demand.
Since the
Center opened in 1974, it has remained true to its mission but has changed to
reflect the needs of its users and of residents of Allston/Brighton, Waltham
and surrounding communities. The spirit and enthusiasm upon which the
'neighborhood' center was founded is evident in the Center's approach to its
delivery of health care services to each individual who walks through its
doors. The Center is committed to ensuring that all people have the opportunity
to lead a full, healthy and productive life.