(Jeremy C. Fox for Boston.com)
The new East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center under construction in Maverick Square.
Partners HealthCare announced this week that it had committed $2.2 million to supporting the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, including the East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center.
The funds will support an array of workforce development programs to meet the needs of community health centers as their role in the overall health care field continues to grow and change.
“Community health centers are among the Commonwealth’s most valuable health care assets,” said Dr. Gary L. Gottlieb, president and CEO of Partners HealthCare, in a statement released by the system.
“For decades, community health centers have pioneered and developed models of care that deliver high quality and cost effectiveness. We must continue to support their ongoing mission to deliver the best value possible to patients and their families.”
Around $1 million will go to Lean Performance Improvement training, a program that provides tools to identify problems and deliver more effective care. Through this program, the East Boston Neighborhood Community Health Center has worked to standardize work flow for medical assistants so they can work more efficiently and spend more time with patients and less on other tasks.
After a four-month program focused on well-child visits to the center, its staff found ways to allow doctors to spend 27 percent more time with patients and improve the experience for patients, families, and medical staff.
“With support from Partners HealthCare and the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers, this initiative has helped East Boston better address the top priorities of community health centers: improving patient care and attracting and retaining the highest quality clinical personnel,” said Jack Cradock, the health center’s CEO, in the statement released by Partners.
The other $1.2 million will be used to establish statewide programs for training health center staff, with more than 1,200 employees at 50 health centers expected to improve their skills and career opportunities over the next three years.
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Article source: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/east_boston/2012/04/partners_healthcare_announces.html