Harbor Health invites interested patients to join our Board of Directors

Harbor Health is seeking new volunteer board members!

Our board members are an amazing group of people. More than half are patients at Harbor’s community health centers. All are active in their communities and share a common interest in supporting our mission.

Are you:

✓ A patient at a Harbor Community Health Center
✓ Ready to share ideas for improving our health centers
✓ Excited about building community
✓ Open to serving as an ambassador for Harbor Health
✓ Able to come to 75% of our monthly meetings each year

If you answered yes to these questions, we hope you will consider joining!

Express Your Interest

Please click the link below to complete an online interest form.

Board Interest Form

Do you know someone who might be interested in joining our board?

We welcome referrals!

Please read important information about co-pays for telehealth visits

Español      Português     Tiếng Việt 

Harbor Health offers in-person and video/phone visits with our providers. We call video and phone visits “virtual visits.”

Many patients have come to see virtual visits as part of routine care. And our providers are happy to support your health!

What You Need To Know

You may have a copay or deductible for a virtual visit.  Many states and health insurance companies waived these costs during the pandemic. These waivers ended in July 2021.

What You Need To Do

Please check with your insurance company on your cost for a virtual visit. You may be responsible for all or part of the cost.

The cost is often the same as an in-person visit.

Please Remember!

We can only provide a virtual visit if you are in Massachusetts. Please reschedule if you will be in another state.

Can We Help?

Help with health insurance and cost. Harbor Health can help you apply for health insurance. We also offer discounts based on family size and income. Please call your health center for help.

Help with a medical bill you are unable to pay. Please call our billing department at (617) 533-2370. We will help you set up a payment plan that fits your budget.

Thank you for letting Harbor Health be a part of your care!

Thanks To Support from Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation, New Program Offers Opportunity to Community

Harbor Health has launched a new Dental Assistant Trainee* program at Ellen Jones Community Dental Center in Dennis. With support from Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation, the new DAT program welcomed the first two trainees Hayanne Silva and Yasmin Roar to the dental center in March. They will complete their training by the end of the summer.

Dental assistants are essential to caring for our patients at all of Harbor Health’s dental practices. Dental assistants help with a variety of health care tasks, from taking dental x-rays to recording treatment information to supporting dentists with managing dental emergencies.

Due to the nationwide shortage of qualified dental assistants, dental assisting is an in-demand profession.

One of our biggest challenges in our dental program is finding qualified dental assistants to work in Hyannis and Dennis.

Many of the things we do in a dental office require four hands, so not having the extra two skilled hands means we may not be able to help as many patients in need of care.

Responding to the Challenge, Helping the Community

Harbor’s dental care team decided to build on the 20 years of experience they had teaching dental assisting students at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School at Ellen Jones Community Dental Center and developed a new on-the-job training program open to the community.

Dental Assistant Trainees learn and practice chairside dental assisting, CPR, how to safely take radiographs, infection control, patient management, and dental safety protocols.

Thanks to Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation, Harbor was able to launch the DAT program during the pandemic and offer additional assistance to trainees with paying for required exams and additional training classes. The support from Cape Cod Healthcare Foundation has been essential to the goals of DAT program to add essential dental staff and bring new opportunities to residents in need of year-round jobs on Cape Cod.

“Good oral health is essential to our overall health and wellness. We are proud to support the Ellen Jones Community Dental Centers’ Dental Assistant Training program that will not only increase access to dental services in our community, but also develop our region’s health care workforce and provide stable, year-round jobs on Cape Cod,” said Michael K. Lauf, president and CEO of Cape Cod Healthcare.

According to Dr. Matthew Horan, Executive Director of Dental Services at Harbor, “We wanted remove barriers for interested people from the community who might be interested in starting a healthcare career as a dental assistant but may lack mentorship or the funds to pursue their interest.”

“We are addressing a chronic workforce shortage challenge head-on, by responding in truly mission-driven way that promotes opportunity for employment within our community and aids in serving our patients unmet needs.”

The Dental Assistant Trainee Experience

Dental assistant trainees Hayanne and Yasmin at work at Ellen Jones Community Dental Center.

 The DAT program’s first trainees Chayanne Silva and Yasmin Roar are currently working at Ellen Jones Community Dental Center alongside the dental care team. Once their training is complete, they will move ahead with the process of getting their license.

“When I decided to apply for the program, I had no idea what to expect, because I never had any experience with dental before, but I can say that I’m very thankful that I was accepted as this program went beyond all my expectations,” said Hayanne.

“I’m confident that the knowledge and abilities from this program qualifies me to be the successful dental assistant I want to be.”

Yasmin explained she had moved from another country looking for stability for herself and family. She credits the DAT program with giving her a positive outlook.

“I can see a brilliant future for me, and I am sure all the techniques and lessons will be applied daily. I appreciate all the knowledge the team has been teaching me.”

Harbor has opened the program to new applicants. Please visit Join Our Team to look for the Dental Assistant Trainee position postings and apply.

*Note: The Dental Assistant Trainee program at Harbor Health is not a Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) recognized program. Dental Assistants produced by the program are not “formally trained”, but our goal is that they will meet all requirements for licensure from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Dentistry via the on-the-job training pathway.

Curbside service only available this summer when the health center is closed

The pharmacy at Harbor Community Health Center – Hyannis has new curbside pick up hours this summer 2021!

Beginning July 6, please come inside the health center to visit the pharmacy when the health center is open.

Health Center Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 8:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Tuesday and Thursday, 8:00 AM -8:30 PM
Saturday, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM

When the health center is closed, our pharmacy will offer curbside pick up.

Pharmacy Curbside Pick Up Hours

Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 4:30 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Sunday, 8:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Please call the pharmacy at (508) 778-5424 for curbside pick-up during these times.

PLEASE NOTE: Curbside pick up will only be available when the health center is closed!

You can download an informational flyer with our curbside hours and phone number by clicking the buttons below.

We thank you for your patience as we make this change!

Free, confidential, and inclusive HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health services

Harbor Health will open the THRIVE clinic this June with three upcoming clinics, open to the community.

The THRIVE clinic will offer HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health services. Services are free of charge and confidential. 

Service include:

• HIV rapid testing and counseling – finger stick or oral swab, results in 20 minutes or less
• PrEP education and connection to care
• Sexual health education
• Family planning education
• Safer sex and menstruation supplies

The June THRIVE clinics will take place at Harbor Health’s Dorchester community health centers and at the Plymouth Pride Festival  in Plymouth.

Thrive Clinic Hours

Reservations for testing and counseling appointments are recommended at our health center clinics. Walk-ins are also welcome.

Clinics will take place every month at our health centers and pop-up locations at community events.

We also work with community organizations to provide services to their clients. If you would like to learn more about having a THRIVE clinic come to your organization, please call (617) 533-2228.

How Can We Help You?

To stay healthy, you need to take care of all of you! And the THRIVE clinic is there to help.

THRIVE stands for:

T – Trusted services

H– HIV testing and prevention

R– Reproductive and sexual health

I– Inclusive

V– Vital

E– Educational

The THRIVE clinic’s mission is to help everyone feel welcome, comfortable, safe, and supported in asking for HIV prevention and sexual and reproductive health information, services, and supplies. 

Our kind and caring prevention services team works at the THRIVE clinic.  They are trained in HIV testing, counseling, and answering all kinds of questions about sexual and reproductive health.

The team can:

• Help you with what to say and questions to ask your medical provider about PrEP.
• Give you information about different birth control methods.
• Assist you in understanding your risk for HIV and how often you should get tested.
• Connect you to care and resources to help you pay for PrEP.
• Answer questions about STIs and connect you to testing and treatment.

We hope to see you at an upcoming clinic! Learn more about the THRIVE clinic

Massachusetts Town Hall on Anti-Asian Racism on Thursday, March 25

The rise in anti-Asian violence during the pandemic has directly impacted our friends, neighbors, patients, and colleagues. At Harbor Health, we are deeply troubled when people in our community struggle to stay healthy and feel safe because of racism.

We wanted to share an important statement championed by the Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network (APIs CAN).  Harbor Health joined elected officials and local organizations in signing this statement.

APIs CAN along with local organizations will also host the Massachusetts Town Hall on Anti-Asian Racism on Thursday, March 25 at 6 pm.  You can download flyers for more information below.

Statement from the Asian Pacific Islanders Civic Action Network…

Community Organizations Respond to Anti-Asian Violence and Targeted Murders in Atlanta

APIs CAN and our member organizations and allies are enraged and devastated by the targeted murders of 8 people, most of whom were Asian American women, in Atlanta.

Increased and unchecked anti-Asian rhetoric during the COVID-19 pandemic has fueled xenophobia and anti-Asian racism. We have seen a rise in attacks on Asian Americans, particularly elderly people, across the country, and a lack of safety in all aspects of our community members’ lives.

From the Chinese Exclusion Act to Japanese Internment to the Sikh temple shooting in Oak Creek to the disproportionate impact on Southeast Asians in the school to prison to deportation pipeline, racism against Asians is ingrained in this country’s history. Women and femmes experience the brunt of not only this racism, but also the sexist stereotypes of Asian American women, which leads to many types of violence, including what we saw in Georgia yesterday.

Asian American women are on the frontlines of our economic sectors, including as domestic workers and nail salon workers. Asian American women are also the center of our family lives as homemakers and caretakers. Asian American women live simultaneously at the margins of society and at the intersection of immigration, gender, race, and class.

We denounce violence against Asian American communities in all forms, and we call on local, state, and federal governments to:

• Support robust and responsive crisis intervention resources, including in-language support for mental health, legal, employment, and immigration services;
• Center transformative justice that begins with cross racial dialogue and community-building that address white supremacy as the root cause of violence and hate;
• Fund non-law enforcement strategies that invest in communities of color to address long-term systemic racism and extreme inequality — jobs, housing, immigration, healthcare, and To end violence, we must ensure our people have the resources and opportunities they need to lead dignified lives; and
• Focus on survivors’ needs to ensure victims and survivors of all backgrounds and language abilities receive full supportive multilingual and culturally appropriate services so they can recover and

APIsCAN is hosting a forum March 25, 2021 6pm-7:30pm highlighting how the Asian American community in MA is organizing against racism and learning how to support our community during the pandemic. RSVP at bit.ly/townhallaar.

Download the Town Hall flyer – English

Download the Town Hall flyer – Vietnamese

Harbor Health has a new health record system

Español      Português    Tiếng Việt

Harbor Health has a new health record system. Your health record is where we store your health information.

Your privacy important to us!  We will keep all of your health information private under HIPPA guidelines.

You should know…

• Some parts of your appointment may go a little slower while we learn the new system.
• Some of the documents you receive from your care team may look different.
• You will need to sign up for our NEW PATIENT PORTAL MyChart.

Sign Up For MyChart!

MyChart is a safe, easy, and free! You can check lab results, send messages to your care team, request refills, and more – anytime, anywhere!

You will need to sign up for a MyChart account.  Even if you had an account on Harbor Health’s old patient portal, you will still need to sign up for MyChart.

Your care team will also be able to answer questions about signing up for MyChart.  You can also learn more by visiting hhsi.us/patient-information/patient-portal.

Thank you for your patience!

Please know we will do everything we can to make this change as easy as possible for our staff and patients.  We appreciate your patience as we learn the new system.

COMING SOON! 5 things you should know about our new system

On Tuesday, March 9, 2021, Harbor Health will have new health record system. Your health record is where your care team tracks and stores your health information.

There are 5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW about our new system.

5 Things You Should Know About Harbor’s New Health Record System

1. All of your information will be kept private under HIPAA guidelines. Your privacy is very important to us.
2. Some of the documents you receive from your care team may look different. Instructions, forms, and other documents we give or send to you before or after your appointment may look different.
3. We will have a NEW PATIENT PORTAL called MyChart. Our patient portal is a safe, easy, and free way  to see lab results, upcoming appointments, medications, and more.
4. You will need to download the MyChart patient app and register. Even if you have a patient portal account right now, you will need to register for a MyChart account.  The patient app is free and will be available on the Google Play and Apple stores.
5. We will also use MyChart Zoom for video/phone appointments. We will share information about having a MyChart Zoom on our telehealth information page on this website.

We will give you registration information for MyChart soon. We will share information at your next appointment and on our patient portal page on this website.

THANK YOU for your patience while we make this change! 

FREE EVENT Hosted By Harbor Health and Dorchester South/South Boston WIC

Harbor Health and Dorchester South/South Boston WIC will host a virtual community baby shower! The baby shower will take place on  Wednesday, January 27, 2021, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm.

This free event is open to all new and expecting parents.

Harbor Health’s family medicine, pediatrics, women’s health/OB-GYN, and WIC teams will be there! They will provide helpful information and resources.  They can answer questions you may have about labor and delivery, feeding, infant care, and more.

Registration for our virtual community baby shower is required!

Call Anna Pham at (617) 680-3217 to sign up.  She will send you the Zoom meeting invitation after you register.

We hope to see you there!

A message from Chuck Jones, President & CEO of Harbor Health

All of us at Harbor Health were deeply saddened to learn about the recent death of Dr. Jack Geiger.  He was a monumental figure in our own organization’s history, as well as in the worlds of medicine and social justice.

In December 1965, Dr. Geiger co-founded the Columbia Point Health Center, now Harbor’s Geiger Gibson Community Health Center in Dorchester.  His passionate activism and determination to uproot the societal injustices which caused poverty and poor health were the seeds of the community health center movement nationally.

As Dr. Geiger told Time Magazine at the time, “We have known for a long time about the relationships between poverty and health without fully facing up to them.  The poor are likelier to be sick.  The sick are likelier to be poor.  Without intervention, the poor get sicker and the sick get poorer.”

He believed community health centers were not the end, they were the means to a “road out” of poverty. Today health centers like Geiger Gibson serve nearly 30 million low income patients each year across the U.S., each of them firmly anchored in the values and approach to community health that Dr. Geiger instilled over 55 years ago.

Dr. Geiger’s life and accomplishments are well documented, so we won’t attempt to recount them all here.  Perhaps his legacy can best be honored by remembering that, yes, while he was a doctor, our co-founder, a founding member of two antiwar Nobel Peace Prize winning organizations, and an iconic figure in public health, he was also someone who simply believed we should look out for people in trouble.

For him, building and sustaining a healthy community was not only about providing exceptional healthcare, but also about fostering mutual respect and compassion, and sharing knowledge and resources so that everyone had a chance to reach their full potential.

Racial and social justice were and are inseparable from community health.

After watching the health and economic effects of the pandemic disproportionately fall across the country this year, we will continue to be inspired by this same belief.

Chuck Jones
President & CEO