Mission & Overview

At Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center (Kennedy CHC), we help people live healthier lives.

Founded in 1972, the Kennedy CHC has grown from a small practice housed in Worcester public housing to a multi-site, full service provider of primary care, medical specialties, dental, behavioral health and social services throughout the Central and MetroWest areas of Massachusetts.

We currently serve over 24,000 patients of all ages at our medical and dental offices in Worcester and Framingham, and our dental office in Clinton. Some of our children and teens are able to get their health care in our school-based health centers located on-site in their elementary, middle and high schools as well.

Healthcare today isn’t just about treating illness, it is about preventing illness by promoting and maintaining health. We do this by offering our patients a “medical home” where our health care providers and staff work as a team in partnership with patients to achieve excellent health outcomes. It is an approach to total health care.

We strive to deliver high quality primary care services that are accessible, and to be at the forefront of innovative health care practices. We do this by creating and maintaining an enthusiastic, skilled, compassionate workforce that mirrors the community and is dedicated to our mission. The Kennedy CHC understands and respects the cultures of our employees, patients and communities we serve.  In addition to striving to be the health care provider of choice, we also strive to be recognized as a great place to work.

We provide services to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. We accept most health insurance plans, including MassHealth (Medicaid) and Medicare; other public programs; and we offer assistance to individuals and families eligible to sign up for health insurance.

At the Kennedy CHC we recognize we cannot meet unlimited demand with limited resources. We regularly assess the needs of our communities and evaluate our capacity to meet those needs. Resource development, philanthropy, and collaboration with community partners are high priorities to maximize our ability to provide the high quality healthcare every community resident deserves.

Vision Statement Our vision is to be a constantly growing, financially sound community health center.

Organizational Values We believe that everyone has a right to accessible, high quality, comprehensive, integrated and compassionate health care.