Center for Community Health Education, Research and Service (CCHERS)

This community-based organization is comprised of Boston Medical Center, the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston University School of Medicine, Northeastern University Bouvé College of Health Sciences and an established network of fifteen community health centers (FQHC) serving the racially and ethnically diverse populations of the City. Northeastern University serves as its host institution and sustaining partner. The network’s goals and mission are to promote the development of “academic community health centers” that integrate education, research, and service, to influence and change health professions education, improve health care delivery, and promote health systems change to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health. Further, the network promotes community based, primary care oriented education for a range of health professions students, from high school through graduate and professional school, to improve community health services provided to under-served populations. The partnership promotes community-derived and -directed health services and clinical research, in partnerships with academic medical center, government, and university researchers, that focus on health problems impacting diverse urban populations. Our missions ensures the coordination of services and inter-agency collaboration among universities, health service providers, community-based organizations, and community residents to create healthier communities, promote public policy and institutional change in health professions education, community health, and health care access to create an equitable health care system for all.

Efforts

CCHERS supports ongoing advocacy programs addressing social health issues such as domestic violence and has supported published research on issues as diverse as asthma and diabetes.