July 28, 2009
Celebrate National Health Center Week on August 13 at Codman Square
August 9-15, 2009 is National Health Center Week. Codman Square Health Center is celebrating by holding a Health Fair concurrently with the Codman Square Farmers Market on August 13. Different CSHC departments will be showcasing their services and doing demonstrations. There will be free blood pressure screenings.

Some of the departments and programs that will be represented include: Dental, Eyecare, Behavioral Health, Nutrition, Public Health, and Healthworks and other programs from 450 Washington Street.

Stop by the health fair before or after you browse the fresh vegetables and fruits at the Farmers Market, which is happening right next to the Health Fair at its usual place and time.

July 27, 2009
Take 5 minutes to help the CSHC’s social media project
The Codman Square Health Center is currently researching how to better connect with our online community. We are looking into how to improve our website, as well as how best to use social media websites like Facebook and Twitter. To help do this, we created a survey to find out about the Internet use of our online constituents. It takes less than 5 minutes and you can enter a raffle after you complete it. Your responses will help us greatly–thank you! You can find the survey here.

For more information about the project, click here. You should also visit our Twitter account and Facebook page (follow the links at the top of the page).

July 24, 2009
Healthy Eating Group Class Announcement
Come join us for a hands-on cooking class and learn how to choose, buy and prepare delicious, healthy, and inexpensive meals!

Operation Frontline Course Offers:
* Free Groceries Upon Weekly Class Completion
* Delicious Recipes to Make at Home
* Nutrition Information to Keep your Family Healthy

DATES AND TIMES:
Tuesdays 11:30am-1:30pm, from August 4th, 2009– September 8th, 2009 (6-Week Session)

LOCATION: Dorchester House Multi-Service Center, 1353 Dorchester Ave, Dorchester, MA 02122

This group is sponsored by The Family Nurturing Center of MA in collaboration with Patch, and the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center.

For more information, see the e-flyer.

July 15, 2009
Summer programs for Boston youth
The City of Boston is offering many programs and events this summer for the city’s families and young people.

From July 6 to August 14, the Boston Public Library is presenting reading, arts & crafts, and hands-on science programming for everyone from kindergarten to high school. The theme of this year’s programs is Starship Adventure. You can find the BPL’s events calendar here.

Remember that every library has museum passes that you or your family can check out to visit Boston’s major museums for free. The Museum of Fine Arts, Harvard art museums, Gardner Museum, and Museum of Modern African History also have free admission during certain days/hours.

The Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF) is offering over 50 neighborhood-based summer day camps and programs. Each community center will offer different events, including activities such as arts and crafts, cultural events, recreation, and much more. The Cleveland, Grove Hall, Marshall, and Perkins BCYFs are all in Dorchester. Click here for more information.

July 9, 2009
Call to action: Please Contact Your Senators Today!
Below is an edited message from the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC):

“Both Houses of Congress plan to pass Health Reform bills by the end of July. While drafters of all these bills say nice things about Health Centers, at this point, the how, and how much, Health Centers will be paid under these new proposals is NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.

We have very little time left to get language in these bills that will protect health center payments in whatever reform happens. The main vehicle for making our case remains demonstrating support for Senate Concurrent Resolution 25. As of today, this resolution has just 13 cosponsors – an almost embarrassingly low show of support for a critical priority for health centers.

Please take a minute to call you Senators (you can use the toll-free Advocacy Hotline at 1-866-456-3949 ) and ask them to Cosponsor S. Con. Res 25. You can also help by forwarding this message to your friends and colleagues and ask that they advocate for Health Centers as well.”

July 6, 2009
Attention young women: enter the Be Heard! Sounding Board Contest
The mission of Girlshealth.gov is to promote healthy, positive behaviors in girls between the ages of 10 and 16. They looking for young women who are outgoing, passionate, and active members of their schools and communities to become members of the Sounding Board — a group of girls who share their opinions about everything from what’s going on in their lives to what’s new on the Girlshealth.gov web site.

They are expanding their Sounding Board to 100 girls and invite you to submit your application to be a part of this exciting event. For an entire year, you will be a part of girls-only blogs, chats, and e-mails where your opinions matter and your voice will be heard. The contest ends on August 31, 2009. For more information about the contest and how to apply, click here!

July 6, 2009
About 28,000 expected to lose Commonwealth Care next month
A proposed change to Massachusetts’s law that would eliminate Commonwealth Care coverage for non-citizens who have lived in the United States for less than five years. According to Partners HealthCare, there 28,000 legal immigrants on Commonwealth Care who will be affected. The decision on this law is not final, but advocates and policy-makers believe that the changes will pass.

State officials say that they will attempt to find an alternative for individuals to regain health coverage as soon as they can. In the meantime, the Massachusetts Health Connector has issued notices and FAQs to individuals who may be affected by the law when it goes into effect in August. Everyone who is affected will still be eligible for emergency care from the Health Safety Net.

If you are uncertain about your future coverage, please look at the FAQ below and make sure that the MassHealth Enrollment Center (MEC) has updated information about your immigration status.

For more information:
Aliens with Special Status (AWSS) and Commonwealth Care FAQ and Resources
Article from the June 24, 2009 issue of the Boston Globe

UPDATE: The Governor filed a supplemental budget yesterday and within it appropriated $70 million for health care coverage for the 30,000 legal immigrants that will be removed from Commonwealth Care.

2009-2010 Social Capital Inc. (SCI) AmeriCorps Service Opportunities
SCI Dorchester, Lynn and Woburn are now recruiting AmeriCorps members to serve from September 2009 to June 2010, and receive a modest living allowance during their service and an educational award. These members will coordinate civic engagement initiatives in the areas of Engaging Youth, Building Bridges, Connecting Citizens, and Developing Leaders.

For a full description of the positions, and how to apply, please click here. If you have any questions, please contact Amanda Richardson at 781-935-2244 or by email at arichardson@socialcapitalinc.org.

July 2, 2009
Return of the Dorchester House Farmer’s Market
Summer’s here and the time is right….for farm-fresh produce! The Dorchester House Farmer’s Market will be in the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center patient parking lot (in the rear) from 11:30 - 1:30 every Tuesday starting July 7th. They accept food stamps, and you can double the value with electronic benefit transfer (EBT). Support your local grower!

PS: Remember that the Codman Square Family Farmer’s Market is also going to be open every Thursday this summer, from 1pm-6pm, in front of the Codman Square Health Center!

July 1, 2009
First Lady Michelle Obama supports community health centers, announces $851 million in stimulus funds
On Monday, June 29, First Lady Michelle Obama toured the Unity Health Care Center in Washington, D.C. In her speech there, she spoke about how community health care centers are a “vital component” of the health care system and the health care reform debate. She highlighted how the work that community health centers do, including provision of primary care, preventative care, and wellness and nutrition counseling help prevent chronic illnesses like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and high-blood pressure that consume 85% of the nation’s health care spending.

The First Lady also announced the release of $851 million in grants from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. This grant money will help the Codman Square Health Center and other community health centers across the country address pressing health center facility and equipment needs and increase access to health care for their communities.

Click on the following links to read the White House press release and the transcript of Mrs. Obama’s speech.

Recap of last week’s events from Youth Services & Recreation at DotWell
We kicked off the week with SCI’s AmeriCorps graduation. Reegan, James, Cathy, Neely, and Adam were recognized for successful completion of their year serving in the Dorchester Commmunity. On Wednesday, the Safe City’s Girls Mentoring Program , in collaboration with Girls Scouts, hosted an amazing youth-organized Re-Run Fashion Show with re-cycled designs created by Teen Center and Dorchester Youth Collaborative in the Dorchester House Gym.

On Friday night, Youth Services & Recreation held its 2nd Annual Youth Awards Ceremony to recognize youth, parents and staff for an outstanding year of youth leadership, development and civic engagement. There were about 120 people in attendance. Eight youth received recognition awards. 10 youth recieved graduation awards (8 senior peer leaders and 2 ATLAS students). The Youth of the Year was awarded to Rhetta Johnson for her outstanding leadership and work. Civic Leadership Awards were given to two DH Stingrays Swim Team and three SportsPlus Basketball parents. To close the evening, all DotWell staff received recognition for all their hard work and dedication this year. And, Reegan Matters receieved a legislative citation from the Boston City Council.