East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) recognized World Down Syndrome Day by unveiling a gallery wall of local pediatric patients living with Down Syndrome in the lobby of EBNHC’s Maverick Square location. Nearly 20 families were in attendance to see their child’s photo portrait on display.
World Down Syndrome Day is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. Down Syndrome (or Trisomy 21) is a condition in which a person has an extra chromosome, causing varying degrees of intellectual and physical disability and associated medical issues. Around 1 in every 800 babies will be born with Down Syndrome.
Remarks were delivered by CATCH Program Director and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Meaghan Hamilton, NP. The Children’s Access to Coordinated Healthcare (CATCH) program provides care coordination for the EBNHC’s most complex pediatric patients while fostering community and connection with and between patients outside of the exam room by planning several accessible, adaptive recreational activities throughout the year.
East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, soon to be NeighborHealth as of June 1, 2024, is one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the largest community-based primary care health system in Massachusetts, serving over 120,000 people and recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a National Quality Leader. For more than 50 years, EBNHC has offered access to comprehensive primary care, specialty care and emergency care for patients in the Commonwealth. In a first-of-its-kind merger in 2020, EBNHC joined forces with the South End Community Health Center and expanded services to patients who live and work in Boston’s South End and Roxbury neighborhoods.
EBNHC champions innovative care models to actively bridge health equity gaps in our low-income and immigrant communities with services unique from other health care providers in our state. In addition to primary and specialty care, EBNHC operates Massachusetts’ only satellite Emergency Department, which is the fourth busiest ED in Boston and is co-located with advanced radiology, including CT scan services, same-day Behavioral Health Urgent Care and an integrated pharmacy. Today, EBNHC remains dedicated to promoting and sustaining healthy communities, families, and individuals both in and out of the exam room by providing accessible, person-centered, compassionate, and high-quality health care services. For more information, visit www.ebnhc.org.