Funding Will Expand Lowell CHC’s Initiative to Establish Youth Career Pathways and Revolutionize Community Programming

Lowell CHC is the recipient of a $5M grant by the Atrius Health Equity Foundation to expand youth-led community health solutions. The initiative aims to ensure all residents have the opportunity to thrive.  

This award is part of the Youth as Health Care Change Agents grant program, a new initiative that funds community organizations in Eastern Massachusetts to establish youth health career pathways, while supporting youth to become health educators, health navigators, future health care professionals, and community health advocates.

Read the announcement from Atrius Health Equity Foundation – https://www.atriusfoundation.org/youthchange

In Greater Lowell, health is shaped by social and economic factors such as income inequality, education access, and housing stability. Since 1970, Lowell CHC has been actively providing trauma-informed preventive healthcare services and addressing these social determinants of health. For this initiative, Lowell CHC will be collaborating with Community Teamwork, Inc., Coalition for a Better Acre, Greater Lowell Health Alliance, MassHire, and Lowell General Hospital/Tufts Medicine.

Funding from the Atrius Health Equity Foundation will support Lowell CHC’s Health Justice Learning Institute™’s groundbreaking initiative of establishing youth health career pathways and revolutionizing programming to increase social connectedness, improve family health outcomes, support youth mental wellness, boost high school graduation rates and promote post-secondary educational attainment, and address substance use – all tailored to community needs. The program will also bring together numerous cross-sectoral partners and establish a Youth and Health Coalition in Lowell.

Sheila Och, Executive Director of the Health Justice Learning Institute and Chief Equity Officer of Lowell Community Health Center, stated about the grant: “We are deeply grateful for the support from Atrius Health Equity Foundation for our Youth Health Program (YHP). This program will focus on youth and their families, addressing health, economic security, and life expectancy.” 

Och continued, “By leveraging the health center and our partners’ expertise in innovative, culturally responsive services and youth programming, we will create new health career pathways and improve health outcomes. In collaboration with our partners, the program will ensure youth are supported from all corners of our city. The Youth Health Justice Academy, part of our Health Justice Learning Institute, will offer opportunities for young people to explore health careers in a community health setting and through a health justice lens. By centering youth and their families, we aim to combat chronic diseases, enhance wellness, and drive systems change. This grant propels our vision of a just and healthy community.”

Lowell CHC is among eight awardees selected through a highly competitive and rigorous selection process shaped by community input. View the full list of awardees at www.atriusfoundation.org.

More information about the work underway at Lowell CHC can be found at www.lchealth.org.

About the Atrius Health Equity Foundation

Established in 2022 as an independent organization, the Atrius Health Equity Foundation carries forward Atrius Health’s historic focus on improving health outcomes for all. The Foundation’s grantmaking emphasizes collaboration and community leadership and seeks to achieve lasting impact by transforming systems to promote health equity with the ultimate goal of creating a future where everyone in Eastern Massachusetts lives a longer, healthier life. More information about the Foundation’s work can be found at www.atriusfoundation.org.

About Lowell Community Health Center: Lowell Community Health Center, established in 1970, is the healthcare home of choice for more than 36,000 individuals in Greater Lowell. At the heart of our mission lies a strong commitment to offering comprehensive and culturally responsive healthcare services, ensuring that every patient receives the care they need, regardless of financial status.

Lowell Community Health Center (Lowell CHC) is proud to announce Cynthia (Cindy) Slaga, NP, as the 2024 Community Health Center Clinician of the Year, awarded by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. Joining Dr. Stephanie Billings of Holyoke Health Center, Cindy is one of only two statewide recipients. She will receive this honor at the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers’ Annual Awards Gala on June 7th. 

Read the story in The Sun.

Cindy leads Lowell CHC’s school-based health center program, which includes centers at Lowell High School and Stoklosa Middle School. 

Susan West Levine, CEO of Lowell CHC, speaks highly of Cindy: “Cindy’s dedication is evident the moment she speaks about her students and you see the smile and passion on her face. Her leadership has transformed our School-Based Health Centers into environments that are safe havens for students where they can receive comprehensive care and support.” 

Kumble Rajesh, Chief Medical Officer, comments on Cindy’s holistic approach: “Cindy ensures all students, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, receive complete health services. Her work addresses their physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being.” 

Elizabeth Hale, Chief Operating Officer, remarks on Cindy’s role: “Cindy is more than a clinician; she’s a trusted caregiver and advocate. Her innovative practices and commitment to health equity exemplify what this award signifies.” 

Cindy Slaga reflects on the award: “Thank you! I am truly honored. I appreciate all the support that has been given to the growth of the school-based health program. I am excited to share this recognition with our entire school-based health center team and the youth of Lowell. This award inspires me to continue the very important work of a community health center in meeting the unique healthcare needs of the community.” 

Since 2016, Cindy has been pivotal in Lowell CHC’s School-Based Health Center program, focusing on adolescent health. Her efforts during the pandemic and her continuous work in promoting health equity and innovative youth health services underscore her worthiness of this recognition. 

Cindy’s initiatives, like offering diverse contraceptive services and LGBTQIA+ support, and integrating behavioral health services into the School-Based Health Center program, demonstrate her commitment to addressing the varied needs of students. Additionally, her work providing healthcare and vaccines to refugees and new arrivals during summer breaks highlights her dedication to health equity. Most recently, she’s launched a Youth Advisory Council to further engage and ensure a student-centric program. 

Lowell CHC’s School-Based Health Centers facilitate academic achievement by ensuring medical and behavioral health services are accessible in the school environment. Recognizing that addressing students’ physical and mental health needs increases their readiness for learning, the centers aim to reduce class time missed and enhance lifelong success. 

LOWELL, MA – Alexandra Gray, RN, a Pediatric Nurse at Lowell Community Health Center, has been honored by her colleagues with The DAISY Award® For Extraordinary Nurses. The award is part of the DAISY Foundation’s programs nationwide to recognize the extraordinary care nurses provide every day. The award was presented during National Nurses Week.

Alex is Lowell Community Health Center’s second annual Daisy Award recipient. Lowell Community Health Center was the first community health center in the nation to begin present the Daisy Award annually.

“Alex truly exemplifies the vision and mission of the Daisy Awards,” said Dr. Elizabeth Hale, RN, DNP, Lowell Community Health Center’s Chief Operating Officer. “She is a shining example of nursing at its best, providing extraordinary compassionate and skillful care for our community’s pediatric patients as she supports, mentors, and uplifts her colleagues.”  

Alex, who joined Lowell Community Health Center in 2021 said, “I am incredibly honored and shocked by this meaningful recognition from my colleagues. It is such a privilege and honorable responsibility to care for the children of our community, and I am so grateful to be working with colleagues and a health center so dedicated to providing caring, quality, and culturally rooted health services to the people we serve. I strive to show up every day with a smile and I hope to continue to encourage my fellow colleagues to provide optimal care to the community.”

The colleagues who nominated Alex spoke highly of her skill and compassion:

• “Alex truly embodies an enduring commitment to promoting health equity for all of the patients she has met or worked with in the health center.”
• “Alex creates a positive experience for patient coming into the health center, even for the pediatric patients who may be absolutely terrified to be there.”
• “Alex goes above and beyond to help her patients receive the care they need.”
• “Alex rises to each challenge with an open mind, a smile, and so much positivity.”
• “Alex is a true mentor to all of her colleagues, and her supportive nature makes her an excellent teacher.”

An acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune SYstem, The DAISY Foundation was formed in November 1999 by the family of J. Patrick Barnes who died at age 33 of complications of Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP). The nursing care Patrick and his family received while he was ill inspired his family to create this unique means of thanking nurses for making a profound difference in the lives of patients and their families. 

Said Bonnie Barnes, FAAN, Doctor of Humane Letters and Co-Founder of The DAISY Foundation, “We wanted to give patients, families, and co-workers an easy way to express their gratitude for nurses who provide extraordinary, compassionate care. The work the nurses at Lowell Community Health Center are called on to do every day epitomizes the purpose of the DAISY Award.”

In addition to the DAISY Award for Extraordinary Nurses, the Foundation expresses gratitude to

the nursing profession internationally in over 5,000 healthcare facilities and schools of nursing with recognition of Nurse-led Teams, Nurse Leaders, Nurses Advancing Health Equity,

Nursing Faculty, Nursing Students, Lifetime Achievement in Nursing and through the J. Patrick Barnes Grants for Nursing Research and Evidence-Based Practice Projects, Medical Mission Grants, and their new Health Equity Grant programs. More information is available at http://DAISYfoundation.org.       

About Lowell Community Health Center:

Founded in 1970, Lowell Community Health Center serves as the “family doctor” for nearly half of Lowell’s population, by providing “caring, quality, and culturally appropriate health services to the people of Greater Lowell, regardless of their financial status.” For information, visit www.lchealth.org or call 978.937.9700.