News

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren visited Lowell Community Health Center on June 29 to celebrate the work of the health center in our community, thank our staff for their frontline work on the COVID-19 pandemic, and to applaud the patient- and community-focused use of the $5.3 million in HRS) funding for COVID response and recovery, as well as the $800,000 for capital improvements to our first floor. Senator Warren echoed Lowell CHC CEO Susan West Levine’s passionate advocacy for long-term, stable funding for CHCs as a key component of public health. We are deeply grateful for Senator Warren’s support.

Thanks to a partnership with the Lowell nonprofit Mill City Grows, patients at the Health Center with chronic health conditions are finding it easier to access the healthy foods their special diets require. We are grateful for the partnership!

The program just launched, and already 56 adults with conditions including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and hypertension have enrolled. They can pick from a healthy array of fresh, locally grown produce at any one of Mill City Grows’ mobile markets, including one parked outside of the Health Center every Tuesday from 10 am to 12pm.  

With funding through our Wellforce Care Plan ACO, the program is free to participants and can be combined with SNAP and WIC benefits.

“A lot of people want to pick their own food and tailor their meals to what they, culturally, prefer,” notes Rebecca Williams, RN, Director of Integrated Care and Case Management at Lowell CHC. “And although the program is aimed at adults, they bring the food home to their families, so everyone benefits.”

Williams expects the program with Mill City Grows to expand throughout the summer. The Health Center will continue to offer medically tailored meals year round to eligible patients with certain chronic conditions through our partnership with Community Servings.

“Our Mobile Market has broken barriers of location and mobility to bring fresh produce......

Health centers provide tremendous value and impact to the communities they serve, including jobs and economic stimulus, savings to Medicaid, and access to care for vulnerable populations. A new report highlights the Lowell Community Health Center 2020 contributions and savings.

2020 Value & Impact of Lowell CHC.pdf

Free COVID-19 testing returns to Lowell May 12 through the state’s “Stop the Spread” program. Testing will be offered in the parking lot of Cawley Memorial Stadium, 424 Douglas Road, available seven days a week:
Monday 8am-2pm, Tuesday 12pm-6pm, Wednesday 8am-2pm, Thursday 12pm-6pm, Friday 8am-2pm, Saturday 10am-2pm, Sunday 10am-2pm. All Massachusetts residents, including those who are not experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, are eligible to be tested. Walk-ups will also be accepted.