How Massachusetts General Hospital Lives United

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) was the first American hospital to place social workers within the institution, a signal that it recognized early the importance of community factors in achieving and maintaining health. Knowledge of the importance of community, devotion to scientific rigor, and the primacy of teaching inform all of the hospital's community benefit work.  The hospital seeks to keep all of its community work evidence-based and leverages its impact by using this work to train practitioners.

Operating through its network of community health centers and the Center for Community Health Improvement, MGH helps the communities it serves take on some tough problems, from substance abuse to domestic violence to equal access to medical care.

Resilience is key to healthy development of the human person.  Supporting that resilience, especially among young people under physical, economic, or social stress can make the difference between success and disaster.  Nowhere are MGH and United Way more closely aligned than in their work with children, youth, and young families.  In Chelsea, MGH runs a dynamic prenatal outreach program.  Nearby, at United Way-affiliated Roca, the hospital maintains a full service health clinic for children, youth, and young parents.  In its Children's Witness to Violence program, young people who have seen violence close up are supported by caring adults.

In youth development, MGH partners with schools throughout the city, including East Boston High School, Health Careers Academy, the Timilty Middle School and others, to provide mentors, support academic achievement, and help young people to enter careers in science and health care.  In all these efforts, the hospital seeks to use evidence-based, replicable practices.  MGH has recently expanded its focus to encompass after-school programs.  All this is highly aligned with United Way's emphasis on meeting basic needs, supporting the social/emotional development of young children, surrounding youth with caring adults, and measuring success.

In 2008, MGH physicians and staff contributed over $500,000 to support the work of United Way.