Holyoke Health Center Inc

Our mission at the Holyoke Health Center is to “Improve the health of our patients through affordable, quality health care and comprehensive community-based programs to create a healthy community.” 

We are a Federally-Qualified Community Health Center located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, with additional locations throughout Hampden County.  We have been providing
low cost medical, dental, behavioral health and pharmaceutical services in both English and Spanish to the Holyoke, Chicopee, and the surrounding communities for over 40 years.  We strongly believe that every person deserves high quality healthcare, and we are committed to developing resources with our partners, the state and federal government, and community members to deliver on our mission. We utilize a Patient Centered Medical Home approach to medical care, which includes preventative care, routine checkups, immunizations, and management of acute and chronic illnesses. Through implementation and support of a variety of community-based health programs, we have established a reputation in the area as a trusted provider and an organization committed to community development and the elimination of health disparities. 

We have a state of the art pediatric dental department that offers a full range of services to children from routine cleanings to oral surgery.  We also have a full service orthodontics department.  Oral health is linked to many medical health issues and is especially vital in children.  This Valley Gives Day we are hoping to raise $10,000 to help support pediatric dental outreach, off site services, and help to increase the oral health of the children in our community.

We serve more than 24,000 patients a year from communities throughout the Pioneer Valley. We have a committed staff of 300, including 30 full time medical and dental providers, 30 nurses, 50 bilingual medical and
dental assistants, case managers, outreach workers, administrators, and financial counselors. We also have Community Health Workers who are available
to answer questions outside of a doctor’s visit.  Because we are a federally funded non-profit community health center, Holyoke Health never turns a patient seeking care away
due to inability to pay; we offer a sliding fee scale for patients who do not have insurance and a Managed Care Department who assist people with enrolling on a health insurance plan and with Masshealth. 

Our caring, professional medical and dental teams know that healthy families make healthy communities and we are committed to both. We are committed to responding to the
evolving health and social care needs of our communities with the goal of eliminating health disparities and promoting access to culturally competent care. In addition to our medical, dental and pharmacy programs we have free parenting classes, nutrition, cooking and exercise classes, the Holyoke Food and Fitness Policy Council and a specialty pediatric obesity program. Medical assistants, registered nurses, case managers, enrollment staff, and community health workers are drawn from the local community and provide the culturally competent services that have made HHC the provider to low-income communities in greater Holyoke.   

In recent years we have expanded significantly, opening a comprehensive medical, dental and pharmacy center in Chicopee, as well as family dental in Springfield,
Westfield, additional sites in Holyoke and Chicopee to meet the growing oral health care needs for those who are uninsured or underinsured.  This past year we have also launched a full service Behavioral Health service program in conjunction with Behavioral Health Network.

Medical, dental, behavioral health and pharmacy care at the Holyoke Health Center is centered on a holistic model that recognizes the socio-cultural, economic, and political factors that influence individual and community well-being. Following from this, we offer a number of educational and support services and engage in a number of community health coalitions.  Our nationally-recognized diabetes programming using a Promotora community health worker model has made significant progress in addressing the diabetes epidemic in Holyoke through peer support and education. 

Please join our other dedicated supporters and donate to keep our mission of addressing health disparities and keeping our communities healthy, regardless of income. Holyoke Health Center staff believe that health care is a right, not a privilege.