Whittier Street Health Center

What Whittier Street Health Center does

Whittier Street Health Center (WSHC) is a nonprofit, federally qualified health center headquartered in Roxbury, Boston, that has delivered community-based health services for more than 85 years (founded circa 1938). It operates as an integrated one-stop-shop delivery model, providing adult and pediatric primary care, walk-in care, specialty services including infectious disease and an LGBTQ clinic, oral and eye care, behavioral health, pharmacy, laboratory, and social-support programs under a single roof, with extended hours and Saturday availability. Care is delivered regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, using a sliding fee schedule, and is supported by an on-site Dana-Farber mammography suite, a school-based health center at Boston Day and Evening Academy, and three mobile health vans that extend dental, vision, and general services across the community. The center serves 13 languages, reflecting the demographics of Roxbury and Greater Boston.

The business model blends three revenue streams: (1) patient-service billing to Medicaid, Medicare, private insurers, and uninsured patients on a sliding fee scale; (2) federal and philanthropic grants, including a $500,000 HHS Cancer Moonshot award in 2023 and an additional $9.5M federal grant referenced in Boston Business Journal coverage; and (3) donations and event fundraising (e.g., the 2023 Roast to David Long raised over $1 million). WSHC is accredited by The Joint Commission, certified by NCQA as a Patient-Centered Medical Home, recognized for Behavioral Health Integration, licensed by the Massachusetts DPH, and is an FTCA Deemed Facility.

Technology is utility-grade healthcare IT rather than differentiated platform tech: an Electronic Medical Records system, the OCHIN MyChart patient portal, telehealth/telephonic and televideo visit capabilities, and COVID-19 testing and contact tracing infrastructure. The organization's strategic differentiation is not technological; it is the combination of accreditations, integrated service breadth, community-rooted trust, and a multi-channel delivery footprint that competitors would struggle to replicate at FQHC unit economics. Headcount sits between 251 and 500 employees.

Name

Whittier Street Health Center

Legal name

Whittier Street Health Center

Website

https://wshc.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1938

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Whittier Street Health Center is a nonprofit, federally qualified health center in Roxbury, Boston, delivering integrated primary, specialty, dental, vision, behavioral health, and social services to approximately 35,000 underserved patients regardless of insurance status or ability to pay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Health Center Services

NAICS

Outpatient Care Centers (6214), Offices of Physicians (6211), Offices of Physicians (except Mental Health Specialists) (621111)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Retail & Walk-In Primary Care Clinics (HLAFAGAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

After-Hours & Walk-In Primary Care Clinics (HLAFADAH), Mobile & Street Medicine Primary Care Programs (HLAFAGAH)

Keywords

• Community health center
• Primary care services
• Behavioral health care
• Dental and vision care
• Federally qualified health center

Headquarters

HQ city

West Roxbury

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Patient Services Billing: As a federally qualified health center (FQHC), Whittier Street Health Center generates revenue by billing insurance plans (Medicaid, Medicare, private insurance) and uninsured patients on a sliding fee scale for clinical services including primary care, specialty care, dental, vision, and behavioral health.
2. Government Grants: The center receives federal grants such as the $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (awarded 2023) and a $9.5M federal grant referenced in Boston Business Journal reporting. These grants support specific programs and operations.
3. Donations and Fundraising Events: Annual fundraising events including Toasts and Roasts generate significant donations. The 2023 Roast to David Long raised over $1 million. Additional events include the annual Men's Health Summit and Women for Whittier Holiday Tea.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Whittier Street Health Center operates as a federally qualified health center delivering comprehensive primary, walk-in, and specialty care, oral and eye care, behavioral health, pharmacy, laboratory, and social services under one roof. All services are provided regardless of insurance status or ability to pay via a sliding fee schedule, and reach approximately 35,000 patients annually across Roxbury and greater Boston.

Product overview

Whittier Street Health Center is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) offering a comprehensive, integrated healthcare delivery system. The organization provides primary care, specialty care, oral and eye care, behavioral health, pharmacy, laboratory, and social services under one roof. Key services include adult and pediatric primary care, cancer survivorship care, HIV services, women's health/OB-GYN, WIC program, dental services including pediatric dentistry, optometry, and eyewear dispensary. The center operates mobile health vans for community outreach and school-based health centers. Wellness programs include the Wellness Institute with fitness facilities and community garden, Prescription for Health plans, and chronic disease management programs. The organization also maintains a Health Equity Research Center conducting clinical trials. All services are designed to serve diverse populations regardless of insurance status or ability to pay, with a focus on achieving health equity for the Roxbury and Greater Boston community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Primary Care

Quantifiable outcome

• Serves 35,000 patients, nearly 30% uninsured
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Dana-Farber Cancer InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2013Dana-Farber Cancer Institute opened a mammography suite at Whittier Street Health Center in October 2013. The partnership provides patients and community residents with access to mammography screenings. DFCI has also been a presenting sponsor at Women for Whittier events and supports Dana-Farber Breast Health Workshops.
• Boston Public Health CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoston Public Health Commission partnered with Whittier Street Health Center for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing efforts. The center works in coordination with state efforts for drive-thru testing and collaborates with the MA Community Tracing Collaborative.
• Eversource EnergymajorGTM or Marketing PartnerEversource Energy is a presenting sponsor of the Women for Whittier Holiday Tea event and has been honored through Whittier's Toast to community leaders (2022 Toast to Joseph R. Nolan, Jr., President & CEO of Eversource Energy). Strong community partnership supporting Whittier's programs.
• Vertex PharmaceuticalsmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerVertex Pharmaceuticals is a presenting sponsor of the Women for Whittier Holiday Tea and was honored at the 2024 Toast to Jeffrey Leiden, Executive Chairman of Vertex Pharmaceuticals. Supportive partner in Whittier's community events.
• EthosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEthos partnered with Whittier Street Health Center through awarded grants to help optimize senior care services including fall prevention programming.
• MA Community Tracing CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWhittier Street Health Center works with the MA Community Tracing Collaborative to accelerate efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19 by scaling up the state's capacity for contact tracing.
• Connected Boston / Multicultural AIDS CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConnected Boston, a program of The Multicultural AIDS Coalition (MAC), works with Whittier Street Health Center on HIV/AIDS outreach and education, particularly addressing issues facing Black and Latino gay and bisexual men in the Greater Boston area.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Dorchester House (Harbor Health Services): Harbor Health Services operates Dorchester House, a Boston FQHC offering primary, dental, behavioral, and pharmacy care on a sliding-fee scale. Shares Whittier's community health center operating model, FQHC reimbursement structure, and underserved urban patient base.
• Manet Community Health Center: FQHC serving Quincy, Hull, and Taunton with multi-site primary, dental, and behavioral care on a sliding-fee scale. Closely comparable FQHC operating model in Greater Boston, though serving different sub-markets.
• Brookside Community Health Center: Jamaica Plain community health center affiliated with Brigham and Women's Hospital providing primary care, behavioral health, and social services to a diverse, underserved Boston population. Comparable care model and patient demographics.
• East Boston Neighborhood Health Center: One of the largest FQHCs in Massachusetts, operating multiple sites in East Boston with primary, dental, behavioral, and specialty care on a sliding-fee scale. Comparable multi-site FQHC model and patient population, though larger in scale than Whittier.
• Codman Square Health Center: Boston-area FQHC serving a similar low-income, racially diverse population in Dorchester. Operates comparable integrated primary, behavioral, dental, and pharmacy services, making it the closest direct comparable for Whittier's care model and reimbursement mix.
• Fenway Health: Boston-area FQHC specializing in care for LGBTQ populations, people living with HIV, and the broader community. Comparable integrated medical/behavioral/dental model and FQHC reimbursement, with overlapping social-justice mission to Whittier's.
• Mattapan Community Health Center: Boston FQHC in Mattapan providing primary care, behavioral health, dental, and social services to a predominantly Black and immigrant population. Highly comparable in mission, size class, and service mix to Whittier.
• South End Community Health Center: Boston FQHC now part of Boston Medical Center's network, providing primary care, dental, behavioral health, and WIC to underserved South End residents. Directly comparable community health center serving an adjacent Boston neighborhood.

Broad incumbents

• Boston Medical Center: Boston's largest safety-net hospital system and an FQHC look-alike operator that runs affiliated community health centers (e.g., South End CHC). Represents the broader incumbent that Whittier partners with and partially competes against for insured patients and specialty referrals.

Regional players

• Charles River Community Health: FQHC operating sites in Allston/Brighton and Waltham with primary, dental, and behavioral care. Similar FQHC operating model but serves a different sub-region west of Boston rather than Whittier's Roxbury core.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Whittier_Boston
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCEWTMJp_-ykoBC9QVh4yzhA
• Facebookfacebook.com/WhittierStreetHealthCenter
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/3244617

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Whittier Street Health Center