Brookside Community Health Center was originally established as the Brookside Park Family Life Center in 1970, a 'grass roots' program with a 5 year funding grant through the Model Cities Program. This grant was made in response to a proposal drafted by a group of community residents, organized to address the health needs of Jamaica Plain. The proposal expressed a defined set of needs for accessible, affordable health care that addressed the social anad medical needs of families.
The group of local residents established itself as the center's Consumer Policy Board functioning under a set of by-laws drafted to govern the Board and its actions. The Board outlined the health center plan and hired the first staff members. The Board continues to function as an engaged set of consumers and advisors who work directly with the health center's Executive Director and staff. The 16-seat board requires that 12 of the seats be filled by consumers who are elected annually by health center clients.
In 1974, the Brookside Community Policy Board signed an affiliation agreement with the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital and became part of the Ambulatory and Community Services Department, operating under the Hospital's license. The hospital, now the Brigham and Women's Hospital, and a founding member of Partners HealthCare Systems, Inc., has continued to work closely with the health center staff and Board to provide high quality services that meet the needs of the community.
Throughout its 37-year history, the health center has evolved and grown in order to meet the needs of its patients and improve the health status of the community. In 1970, after initially opening for business in a school classroom, the health center moved to four house trailers and then into a renovated parish hall basement. By 1975, the health center had settled into its current location, originally a manufacturing building leased by BWH in 1974 for 20 years from the city of Boston. The building, a one story27,700 sq. ft. space, was renovated in 1975 with funding from a federal government program to meet the health center needs. The building is fully handicapped accessible and on public transporation routes. The health center shared a space in the building with N.I.C.E., a community-run day care program, until the summer of 1999. At that time, the Day Care relocated to a new building of its own, allowing it to increase its capacity and offer services in an updated and fully refurbished facility.
In December of 2000, BWH purchased the property from the City of Boston. Long-planned, and much needed renovations including a complete overhaul of the building's infrastructure systems were completed in May of 2003. The increase in space supported improving working conditions for staff and the delivery of high quality care to clients. In 2006, BWH purchased two adjacent vacant lots that are to be incorporated into the health center's driveway to address the problem of substantially limited parking. As the demand for services continued to grow, a review of the clinical areas is needed in order to prepare for the growing service demand and continue to ensure access. This challenge is one that continues into the coming year.
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