Special to the Record
NeighborHealth, Massachusetts’ largest community-based primary care health system, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) with five distinguished quality badges, a rare distinction both regionally and nationally. These 2025 badges highlight NeighborHealth’s commitment to delivering exceptional patient care and advancing health outcomes in our community. “By excelling in vital areas such as early detection and preventative care, we are able to improve the overall wellbeing of our patients, helping them to live longer, healthier and fuller lives,” said Dr. Julio Mazul, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of NeighborHealth. “These awards tell me that our efforts to innovate care delivery and expand access to services are working – together, we can increase timely screenings critical to saving lives.” The 2025 badges, distributed earlier this month, include:
• The Health Center Quality Leader (HCQL) Gold Badge, which places NeighborHealth among the top 10% of community health centers nationwide for clinical quality performance.
• The National Quality Leader – Cancer Screening Badge, underscoring NeighborHealth’s leadership in cancer detection and prevention.
• The National Quality Leader – Diabetes Health Badge, recognizes excellence in diabetes prevention and disease management to reduce risk of long-term complications.
• The Health Center Program – Preventive Health Badge, for early prevention and detection of chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and mental illness.
• The National Quality Leader – Advancing Health Information Technology (HIT) for Quality, for advancing telehealth and coordinated, patient-centered care using the electronic medical record.
• “It is deeply rewarding to have HRSA recognize the high quality of care we provide. These national recognitions reflect our team’s dedication, skill, and creativity in delivering comprehensive care to our community,” said Jamie Hazard, Interim President & CEO of NeighborHealth. “By working in true partnership with our patients, we help break down barriers so that even the most vulnerable members of our community can access exceptional healthcare.”
• The 2025 HRSA quality awards, based on 2024 data, recognize health centers that exhibit excellence in various aspects of patient care, including preventive services, health outcomes, management and the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and clinical processes. These achievements demonstrate NeighborHealth’s mission to provide equitable, patient-centered care to all. For more information about NeighborHealth and our services, please visit www.neighborhealth.com.
NeighborHealth, formerly East Boston Neighborhood Health Center, is one of the nation’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and the largest community-based primary care health system in Massachusetts, serving over 130,000 people and recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) as a National Quality Leader. For more than 50 years, NeighborHealth has offered access to comprehensive primary care, specialty care and emergency care for patients in the Commonwealth. In a first-of-its-kind merger in 2020, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center joined forces with the South End Community Health Center and expanded services to patients who live and work in Boston’s South End and Roxbury neighborhoods. With nearly 2,000 employees, NeighborHealth champions innovative care models to actively bridge health equity gaps in our low-income and immigrant communities with services unique from other healthcare providers in our state. For more information, visit www.neighborhealth.com.