In a significant development for Massachusetts healthcare, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) and South End Community Health Center (SECHC) this week announced plans to merge following the execution of a definitive merger agreement. This represents one of the first mergers of its kind in the state.
Subject to approval by federal and state regulators, SECHC will be integrated into EBNHC, with Manny Lopes continuing as president and CEO. The combination will bring SECHC’s 180-plus staff members and 19,000 patients into Massachusetts’s largest community health center and one of the nation’s largest. Comprehensive health care services will remain available to South End residents through SECHC’s continued operations.
“As SECHC celebrates 50 years of service to
the South End, we also look to the future. Our number one goal is to strengthen
high-quality care for this community in an increasingly complex and volatile
health care system that favors economies of scale,” Bill Walczak, CEO and president of SECHC, stated. “We have strategically considered many pathways to
achieving this goal over the past several years and are delighted to have
reached an agreement with EBNHC that positions community-based care to thrive.”
“Our organizations have shared a common mission for decades and there is
a lot we can learn from one another. As health centers, it is our duty to
innovate and grow in financially sustainable ways to ensure we are preserving
and advancing affordable, accessible, high-quality care in communities that
need it most. We believe that welcoming SECHC into our organization will benefit
patients, staff, and our communities.” noted Manny Lopes, president and CEO of EBNHC.
Following the merger, EBNHC will operate with approximately 1,200 employees and serve more than 100,000 patients annually through an operating budget of $165 million, delivering quality services and programs across neighborhoods on both sides of Boston Harbor.
For more than 40 years, the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) has served as a cornerstone institution in its community, delivering accessible, high-quality health care to residents and workers of East Boston and neighboring areas including Chelsea, Revere, Everett, and Winthrop. The organization employs more than 1,000 staff members and processes 300,000 visits yearly—a volume exceeding that of any other ambulatory care center in New England.
The South End Community Health Center (SECHC), established in 1969, is a comprehensive health care provider serving all South End residents and surrounding communities. The organization maintains a commitment to delivering superior, coordinated health care that is culturally and linguistically responsive to every patient, irrespective of race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical ability, and/or income. SECHC’s diverse and experienced team of 180-plus professionals serves approximately 19,000 patients with an operating budget of $16.5 million.