SAMPLE Health Center Strategic Plan, June, 2012

Sample
Community Health Center
Strategic Plan
(Edited to Remove Name and Other Identifying Information)
Written and Edited by
Tom Martorelli
Boston, Massachusetts
June, 2012

Table of Contents
Executive Summary.....................................................................3
Introduction...............................................................................6
Clinical Services..........................................................................10
Key Elements of the Clinical Services Strategic Plan..............................................11
Five-Year Goals for the Clinical Services 2012 Strategic Plan..................................11
Conclusion.......................................................................................................17
the Research Department.............................................................18
Key Elements of the Research Department’s Strategic Plan...................................19
Five-Year Goals for Research Department’s 2012 Strategic Plan.............................21
Conclusion.......................................................................................................22
Development and Communications................................................23
Key Elements of the Development and Communications Strategic Plan...................24
Five-Year Goals for the Development Department’s 2012 Strategic Plan..................25
Five-Year Goals for the Communications Department’s 2012 Strategic Plan.............27
Conclusion.......................................................................................................28
Resources and Organization..........................................................29
Key Elements of The Resources and Organization Strategic Plan............................31
Five-Year Goals for the Resources and Organization 2012 Strategic Plan.................32
Conclusion.......................................................................................................33
Appendix 1: 2004 Strategic Plan and Related Accomplishments.........35
2004 Clinical Services Strategic Plan and Related Accomplishments........................36
Research Department 2004 Strategic Plan and Related Accomplishments................41
2004 Development Strategic Plan and Related Accomplishments............................43
2004 Communications Strategic Plan and Related Accomplishments.......................45
2004 Resources and Organization Strategic Plan and Related Accomplishments.......46
Appendix 2: SWOT Analyses.........................................................52
Clinical Services...............................................................................................53
the Research Department..................................................................................55
Development and Communications.....................................................................57
Resources and Organization..............................................................................59
Appendix 3: Agenda, Annual Strategic Reports to the Board..............61
Appendix 4: Organizational Chart, Major Boston Area Health Center
Departments.........................................................................63
Appendix 5: Statement of Ethics...................................................65
Appendix 6: Strategic Planning Teams............................................70
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Executive Summary
This strategic plan is the result of an extraordinary effort across the entirety of an
organization that has accomplished a great deal since our last plan was written in
2004. The scope of Boston Area Health Center as a model “Academic Community
Health Center” in Massachusetts, and its Research Department as the home of our
growing international leadership in community health research, education, and
policy development, has required a team approach to planning – four separate
organizational units, each taking the same disciplined look at our past and present
in order to chart a course for Boston Area Health Center’s continued success in the
future.
Organizing Our Strategic Goals
Boston Area Health Center’s 2012 strategic plan has been written in four chapters by
four planning teams – Clinical Services; the Research Department; our
Development and Communications Department; and a Resources and Organization
team representing the financial, administrative, and senior leadership hub in
Boston Area Health Center’s “hub and spoke” organizational model. To varying
degrees, each team focused their goals into five broad categories.
Excellence
The quality of Boston Area Health Center’s health care, research, education, and policy
efforts has long been at the core of our success. Maintaining this quality, and
supporting it with development, communications, and managerial leadership of
equal caliber, is a key priority. Customer service – the intersection of quality and
communication – is an example of where Boston Area Health Center will develop
its excellence in the next five years.
Growth
Since its founding in 1971, Boston Area Health Center has experienced a number of
periods of extraordinary growth, most notably in its response to the need for
community health services as doctors left the city’s urban areas. Our most recent
growth – the conceptualization, building, and deployment of programs at our local
headquarters – differs from some of our historic growth in that it is mission-
driven, and planned. Given our full occupancy of all ten floors of local address in
2012 – three years ahead of schedule – continuing to manage growth in an
increasingly uncertain environment is another priority.
Innovation
Boston Area Health Center is unique in our delivery of quality health care to patients in
our neighborhood and Eastern Massachusetts while also becoming an international
leader in clinical research, consumer and provider education programs, and health
policy development. Creative thinking, and a willingness to become a “learning
organization” in addition to our collection of services and programs, must remain
at our core.
Community health
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Boston Area Health Center’s commitment to the provision of services to underserved
populations began with our commitment to geriatric and local resident health
nights in the 1970s. Our pioneering various diseases and specialty care and
research developed in parallel to Boston Area Health Center’s alternative women’s
health programs in the 1970s. Today’s Specialty Care Health Programs and the
Research Department’s Population Center research on broad epidemiological
issues are evidence of how this commitment has grown, and will continue to grow
in Boston Area Health Center’s future. Today, we are shaping our approach to
community health with the perspective that our population is every bit as diverse
as the American population at large. There is no single community but an
assortment of communities, each requiring its own culturally competent care.
Impact
It is understandable how Boston Area Health Center’s pioneering efforts in community
health have helped us earn a national and international position in this field. But
Boston Area Health Center has also developed other skills, experience, and
capabilities that are the basis for leadership in research, provider training, and
policy development – defined more broadly than their applications in responding to
community health, or in community health. Collaboration with Boston’s teaching
hospitals on provider training, or establishing a community-based clinical research
program, or successfully influencing state health policies and reimbursements for
innovative care are all examples of the broad impact we can have on health care
in general. We will maintain these and similar efforts in the future.
A Guide to this Plan
Boston Area Health Center’s four planning teams each took a similar approach in
writing this strategic plan. We began with a look at Boston Area Health Center’s
2004 strategic plan, and reviewed our success and shortcomings in achieving
goals identified in that document. We continued with a SWOT (strengths,
weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of our current situation.
Based on these analyses, we created a planning framework for our strategic goals,
using the five broad categories outlined in this executive summary. Within that
framework, we wrote broad strategic goals to guide Boston Area Health Center
during the next five years.
Finally, in order to achieve these broad goals, we developed a methodology for
translating these broad goals into achievable and measurable objectives in the
years to come. Each planning team will make an annual presentation to Boston
Area Health Center’s Board of Directors in which it will propose programs and
initiatives for the coming year based on its strategic goals, outline the ways in
which that team and the board can measure success, and report on its success
since its last annual presentation. As this process continues and plans are refined
based on each team’s results, we will achieve two important goals: we will benefit
from a disciplined approach to strategic planning and the translation of these plans
into action; and we will also provide a baseline of shared knowledge for the
development of Boston Area Health Center’s next strategic plan.
The documentation of our 2012 strategic plan follows with an introduction that
summarizes Boston Area Health Center’s mission statement, and our vision and
values. Next, the plan summarizes the planning framework and strategic goals for
each of our four planning themes.
Reference documents in the appendix include a summary of each team’s progress
toward Boston Area Health Center’s 2004 strategic goals, and a summary of each
team’s SWOT analysis. An outline of the agenda for each team’s annual strategic
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planning presentation to Boston Area Health Center’s Board of Directors follows. A
high-level organizational chart for Boston Area Health Center is next, followed by the
organization’s statement of ethics. Last but not least, there is a roster of all the
individuals who contributed their time and energy to our 2012 strategic plan, to whom
Boston Area Health Center owes much thanks.
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Introduction
Forty years ago, the Greater Downtown Boston Area Community Health Center was
the smallest in Boston, occupying less than 5,000 square feet of basement space, with
an annual operating budget of $250,000. As the organization’s name shortened, first
to Downtown Boston Area Community Health Center and now to just Boston Area
Community Health Center, it has grown to become one of Boston’s largest health care
organizations, fully occupying its three-year old ten story headquarters building at
local address, with three additional facilities providing health care to Boston’s
community, to young adults, and to people in the New Neighborhood community.
Boston Area Health Center is still a community health center at its core, but it is also
so much more in 2012. Services have expanded beyond clinical care to include
behavioral health, vision and dental care, and a broad range of services designed for
the 16,000 individuals who come to Boston Area Health Center for care. In addition to
providing these clinical services to people in Boston, Eastern Massachusetts, and New
England, the organization and its Research Department have earned a national and
international reputation for excellence in research, education, and health policy
development based on its historic leadership in the delivery of care to people with
various diseases, the community in its entirety, and Boston Area Health Center’s
growing neighborhoods. The organization and its Research Department have earned a
national and international reputation for excellence in research, education, and health
policy development based on its historic leadership in the delivery of care to people
with various diseases, the community in its entirety, and Boston Area Health Center’s
growing patient base. Today, Boston Area Health Center and the Research Department
are a model of what a community-based organization can do to increase both access
to, and the quality of health care throughout the world.
Much of Boston Area Health Center’s dramatic growth has occurred since its most
recent strategic plan was completed in 2004. In Boston, Boston Area Health Center
has seen a doubling of patient visits for both medical and behavioral health services;
the planning and construction of a 10-story, $60 million headquarters facility at local
address, Boston; the addition of new services such as dental care and eye care;
acquisition of the City Youth Health Center and its programs for young adults ages 19
through 29; expansion of New Neighborhood Health Associates (now Boston Area
Health Center: New Neighborhood ) with space for a pharmacy and behavioral health
services in addition to primary care; and the creation of a Communications
Department to enhance Boston Area Health Center’s dialogue with patients, partners,
and the community in print, on site, and on line.
Nationally, Boston Area Health Center has established the first-of-its-kind Center for
Population Research in community Health at the Research Department; published The
Boston Area Health Center Guide to Specialty Population Health Care, a
groundbreaking training resource for health care professionals in all institutions of
care; and participated in a growing number of national coalitions successfully
influencing federal, state, and local government health policies.
Internationally, the Research Department’s leadership in community health research
and treatment have made real contributions in Asia, South America, Europe, and
Africa, through capacity building and collaborative research projects with local
agencies. Additionally, the Research Department’s researchers have presented on
innovative various diseases prevention interventions at numerous global conferences.
Since 2009, the Research Department has hosted 2-3 meetings per year of
researchers, policy makers and funders to discuss critical issues surrounding various
disease prevention and care strategies.
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In drafting Boston Area Health Center’s 2012 strategic plan, our discussion began with
three critical questions that framed the organization’s previous plans: what do we want
Boston Area Health Center to be in the future, how can we get there, and what
resources will be required to achieve this shared vision?
A larger Boston Area Health Center in 2012 approaches its strategic plan along four
related paths: one for its clinical services; a second for the Research Department and
its research, training, and policy programs; a third for its combined development and
communications departments; and a fourth with an eye on the resources and
organization that will support Boston Area Health Center’s multiple departments,
programs, employees, and volunteers as we grow.
Along with Boston Area Health Center’s excellence, innovation, impact, and community
health, growth is a theme that recurs throughout this plan. The previous decade saw
unprecedented growth in all areas of Boston Area Health Center, symbolized by the
successful planning, construction, and opening of the New Headquarters Building, the
“hub” in Boston Area Health Center’s “hub and spoke” organizational model. Physical
expansion beyond this hub, at Boston Area Health Center: New Neighborhood, and the
City Youth Health Center, provide two different examples of how we can achieve
similar growth in the future. And the development of new programs in clinical care,
research, provider education, prevention, and policy will continue as Boston Area
Health Center maintains its leadership in community health care and the care we
provide to all people in our communities and neighborhoods. In short, mission-driven
growth is and will remain a key element in our organizational philosophy while
concurrently honoring our commitment to provide care regardless of the
socioeconomic status of those who choose to be our patients.
With so much that is new, however, we will always do well in planning for our future
by remembering the mission, vision, and values that have guided Boston Area Health
Center throughout its more than forty-year history.
Mission, Vision and Values
Mission
The mission of Boston Area Health Center Community Health is to enhance the
wellbeing of the local population, other individual, and specialty care communities
and all people in our neighborhoods and beyond through access to the highest
quality health care, education, research, and policy.
Vision
Care & Providing. A national leader in providing integrated, interdisciplinary,
community based health care - primary medical, mental health, substance abuse
treatment and health promotion and disease prevention services - to the diverse
populations of the local population and to other individuals requiring specialty care.
Discovering & Learning. A national and international leader in community based
research on various diseases and the health needs of our local population, aging
men and women, and the specialty care communities.
Education & Teaching. A national center to enhance the understanding of our local
population, and other specialty care health issues.
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Growth & Development. A financially secure and robust organization that includes
a healthy endowment & broad base of donor support.
Values
Demonstrate commitment to our clients by providing the highest quality of care
and responding to client needs by providing innovative, state-of-the-art services
delivered with care and respect.
Reduce barriers and improve access to medical and behavioral health care and
research and health education for the local population, other individuals requring
specialty care..
Respond to the catastrophic illnesses affecting the local population, other
individuals requring specialty care..
Establish and maintain an organization that reflects the ethnic, racial, socio-
economic and general diversity of the community and manifest an acceptance and
understanding of all people.
Maintain a workplace that values our employees and encourages their
commitment, creativity, contributions, excellence and professional growth and
development.
Accept and value the responsibility of being a good neighbor wherever we provide
services.
Ensure a fiscally healthy, well-managed organization that implements sound
financial practices so that contributors and funders can be assured that we are
“faithfully” carrying out our purpose with integrity and without extravagance or
waste.
Encourage and support collaboration between not-for-profit, public sector and
private health providers to fund and assure adequate services for the local
population and other individuals requring specialty care..
Encourage the development of expertise through care and treatment, research,
policy and training that results in national recognition in local population, other
individuals, and specialty care health concerns.
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Chapter One: Clinical Services
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Clinical Services
Boston Area Health Center is committed to providing innovative, culturally sensitive,
evidence-based medical and behavioral health care to local resident, geriatric, and
other individual patients, their families, and all people in the surrounding Boston Area
Health Center neighborhood. Our vision for clinical services in the future consists of
the following fundamental characteristics:
• Care will include ethnically-diverse pediatric, adult and geriatric care with a
special emphasis on community health, women’s health, and specialty care.
• Clinical programs will be inter-disciplinary, integrated and team-based and will
include all ancillary services to provide comprehensive care including behavioral
health, adolescent and senior care, dental, optometry, nurse case
management, and other community-focused programs to create a patient-
centered medical home.
• Clinical departments, in collaboration with the Research Department and other
academic institutions, will continue to innovate and research more effective
ways to care for patients.
• Boston Area Health Center’s clinical departments will sustain, if not increase,
their commitment to educate and train other health care providers in culturally
diverse community care.
Key Elements of the Clinical Services Strategic Plan
Boston Area Health Center’s Clinical Services Department is broad in size and scope,
and its strategic plan is organized to include services ranging from medical and
behavioral health through community health care, women’s and children’s health,
senior health, and other clinical services. The strategic goals we have created for the
next five years are similarly broad, and are the result of a process that includes a
review of our progress vs. the goals in our 2004 strategic plan, and a SWOT analysis
conducted when we began our work late in 2011. Details for both steps in the
development of our strategic plan are included in the Appendix of this document
The Clinical Departments’ strategic goals are organized by four themes that affect all
of Boston Area Health Center’s clinical services: quality, innovation, training, and
growth.
Five Year Goals for the Clinical Services 2012 Strategic Plan
We have arranged the many long-term goals and objectives for the Clinical Services
Strategic Plan into four broad themes: (1) quality, as the degree of excellence in
something; (2) innovation, as the process of making a new method, idea, or product;
(3) training, or the act of teaching a particular skill, and (4) growth, the process of
developing, maturing, or increasing in size. These goals are listed below, along with a
brief qualitative or aspirational discussion of each of our four organizing themes.
Quality
A 2001 Research Department publication set forth a new paradigm for thinking about
health care excellence in the new millennium. The book defines quality care as
possessing six different characteristics:
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• Safe: patients should not be harmed by the care that is intended to help them.
• Effective: care should be based on sound scientific knowledge.
• Patient-Centered: care should be responsive to individual preferences, needs, and
values.
• Timely: unnecessary waits and harmful delays should be reduced.
• Efficient: care should not be wasteful.
• Equitable: care should not vary in quality because of patient characteristics.
This decade-old paradigm has attained wide acceptance in the health care field. Boston
Area Health Center has built its quality plan around these concepts, and we believe it
is essential for the organization to continue to focus on them in order to succeed.
Examples of objectives that help us actualize the Research Department’s vision of care
include the following:
• Maintaining Joint Commission accreditation: Boston Area Health Center was one of
the first community health centers in the country to obtain Joint Commission
accreditation. The Joint Commission survey process allows health care
organizations, through a combination of self-assessment exercises and
unannounced surveys, to identify and improve quality gaps that, if ignored, can lead
to patient harm. It is also the means by which the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services, Bureau of Primary Health Care certifies that a federally qualified
health center is compliant with federal standards. The upcoming 2012 survey will
mark the first time ever that the City Youth Health Center will participate in the
Joint Commission accreditation process.
• Implementing Lean management training: Lean management refers to a
philosophy, popularized by the Toyota Production System, of maximizing customer
value while minimizing waste. Lean’s main tools and tenets include mapping entire
value streams, empowering individuals within an organization to identify waste and
suggest ways of eliminating it, acknowledging that an organization’s employees are
its greatest resource, and ensuring that each worker functions at the top of his/her
level of training. Lean’s applications in health care are many. A well-implemented
Lean management program at Boston Area Health Center can lead to improvements
in customer and staff satisfaction and a reduction in errors.
• Commitment to Staff Training Program: Boston Area Health Center will continue to
offer professional development opportunities to its staff, be they through an internal
curriculum of in-service lectures or by subsidizing participation in external trainings.
• Clinical leaders will help drive quality improvement efforts by maintaining and
revising policies and procedures. They will monitor these efforts through their
participation in the Quality Council, the Clinical Committee, and the Board Quality
and Compliance Committee.
We have two “quality” goals in Boston Area Health Center’s Clinical Strategic Plan for
2012.
Quality Goal One: We will strive to provide care at Boston Area Health Center that
follows the principles defined by the Research Department.
• We will continually monitor clinical dashboards on the board and staff level.
• We will specifically measure access to timely care and continually assess and
implement potential actions for improvement.
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• We will prioritize customer service by developing quality improvement goals
and annual plans that specifically measures patient satisfaction and solicits
patient feedback. This will be used to identify quality improvement initiatives
and continuous staff training.
• Joint Commission Accreditation process will continue and will be ongoing. The
City Youth Health Center will achieve Joint Commission Accreditation through
quality improvement initiatives.
• Policies and Procedures will continually be reviewed, revised and created as
new areas are identified.
• Quality Council and Clinical Committee will continue as effective working groups
within the health center with representation from all clinical services and the
Research Department.
• We will meet the “Meaningful Use” objectives set by federal regulation for our
EMR.
• Lean Principles will be applied to management training throughout the
organization.
• There will be a commitment to the professional training of our staff in the form
of consistent training plans that include in-service training series, seminars,
forums and rounds as well as participation in external training opportunities as
a high priority.
• We will achieve NCQA (National Committee of Quality Assurance) Recognition
as a PCMH (Patient Centered Medical Home).
Quality Goal Two: We will establish quality metrics to sustain and improve quality
outcomes.
• We will assess the need for new or revised measures and we will expand our
dashboard to measure clinical quality and clinical outcomes in all areas of
clinical services.
Innovation
While there is much uncertainty about the future direction of health care reform, there
is, without a doubt, a dire need for new ideas about how to deliver care that is
effective. Several of these ideas are currently the object of much attention and
deserve mention in this report.
• Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH): this idea focuses on an approach to
providing comprehensive primary care to individuals in a health care setting that
facilitates partnerships and allows for interdisciplinary team-based care, an
emphasis on preventive population-based outreach, and care management of
individuals with chronic diseases. Boston Area Health Center aims to attain Level 3
Medical Home status from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) in
2012.
• Accountable Care Organizations (ACO): The ACO is a type of payment and delivery
reform model that seeks to tie provider reimbursements to coordination of care
across health care settings; the level of reimbursements are determined by quality
metrics and reductions in the total cost of care for an assigned population of
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patients. Many health care policy forecasts suggest that ACO’s will emerge as a
predominant payment model in the years to come. It will be important for Boston
Area Health Center’s clinical leaders, together with the Board of Directors and the
Management Team, to become familiar with ACO structure and function and to
determine the necessary steps for ensuring success for the organization should
alignment with such a structure occur.
• Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care: At Boston Area Health Center, as in
most of the country, the demand for outpatient behavioral health services far
outweighs our ability to provide these services to everyone. One potential solution
to this problem is to embed behavioral health specialists within the primary care
setting to allow for less structured but more timely assessment, intervention, follow-
up, and linkage to more intensive care as needed. Boston Area Health Center looks
to implement such a program by formalizing the work of its Medical Social Workers
who are already co-located in the primary care clinics, and are active participants in
the Primary Care Teams.
• Care for Seniors and Children: In an effort to offer cradle-to-grave care to its
patients, clinical leaders will, with the guidance of the Management Team and Board
of Directors, explore the feasibility of initiating additional programs at Boston Area
Health Center that focus on both ends of the age spectrum. Such efforts will require
identifying and collaborating with community partners to create a care system that
is seamless and thoughtfully designed.
We have three “innovation” goals in our 2012 Clinical Strategic Plan.
Innovation Goal One: We will create the Patient Centered Medical Home model of care.
Clinical services will be integrated and team-based and will include ancillary services to
provide comprehensive care including behavioral health, pediatric, adolescent and
senior care, dental, optometry, nurse case management, psychosocial case
management, and other programs.
Examples of How we will Achieve this Goal
• We will continue to assess the feasibility of bringing additional clinical and
support services on-site to better integrate care, lower costs and ensure
quality.
• We will evaluate and make strategic decisions regarding Boston Area Health
Center’s role within Accountable Care Organizations.
• We will evaluate the feasibility of adding new programs to reach seniors and
youth such as home visits, day care and drop in centers.
Innovation Goal Two: We will use advanced clinical information technologies to
integrate patient care between all Boston Area Health Center departments and
affiliates to serve our patients at the highest level of quality.
• We will implement a new Practice Management system
• We will implement electronic billing
• We will meet the “Meaningful Use” objectives set by federal regulation for our
EMR through upgrades.
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Innovation Goal Three: We will continue to strengthen the integration with the
Research Department and collaborate with other academic institutions to research
more effective ways to care for patients.
Training
Boston Area Health Center recognizes in its mission statement the importance of
playing a lead role in educating tomorrow’s minority-sensitive and community health
oriented providers. Therefore, it is vital that Boston Area Health Center maintain, and
even increase, its commitment to educating and training health care providers of
various disciplines in the delivery of culturally diverse care. Examples of current
affiliations that we wish to continue include:
• Behavioral Health Department: Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology,
Simmons/UMass-Boston/Northeastern/Leslie/Boston College Schools of Social Work,
Suffolk University Clinical Psychology Program.
• Dental Department: Boston University School of Dentistry, Lutheran Medical Center.
• Medical Department: BIDMC Internal Medicine Residency Program – Boston Area
Health Center community Health Track, Harvard Medical School.
• Optometry Department: New England College of Optometry.
• Pharmacy Department: Massachusetts College of Pharmacy, Northeastern University
School of Pharmacy.
We have two “training” goals in this year’s strategic plan.
Training Goal One: Boston Area Health Center’s clinical departments will sustain, and
increase, their commitment to educate and train other health care providers in
culturally diverse community care.
• We will seek funding to support our clinical providers to respond to requests
from outside organizations to provide workshops, seminars and trainings off
site at other institutions or at conferences and events
• We will provide internal training support for our providers as “train the
trainers.”
Training Goal Two: Current Academic relationships will be maintained and new
opportunities will be developed for graduate internships within Behavioral Health,
residency medical programs, graduate RN/NP programs, and dental students
• We will continue to support our affiliation with DHSS/HRSA funded BIDMC
Primary Care Boston Area Health Center Track – the first community focused
residency training program in the country
• We will continue to work with local graduate schools of social work, psychology
and counseling to place master’s and doctoral level graduate interns at Boston
Area Health Center, such as Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology,
Simmons School of Social Work, Suffolk University Clinical Psychology, Boston
College, UMass, Leslie, Northeastern
• We will continue our relationship with dental schools such as Boston University
and the Lutheran Medical Center.
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Growth
Boston Area Health Center will most likely continue to see marked increases in patient
visits in all clinical departments and at all clinical sites. Conversion of one of the two
vacant floors in the New Headquarters Building to a clinical space for primary care,
specialty care, and imaging services (X-ray, mammography, ultrasound, bone mineral
density) will take place in the next year. During this time, the Dental Department will
also expand on the sixth floor. Upon the expiration of its lease in 2014, the City Youth
Health Center will need to find a new home elsewhere. Lastly, continued success in
practice growth at Boston Area Health Center:New Neighborhood will eventually
necessitate an expansion at that site as well. With all this in mind, it will be important
to remember the following values as we pursue Boston Area Health Center’s goals for
growth:
• Growth must continue to be sustainable and smart: Developing a model of optimal
practice support will be helpful in enabling the organization to anticipate staffing and
space needs and maintain an optimum health support staff to provider ratio.
• The growth of pharmacy services must continue to be a priority, given the
Pharmacy Department’s impact on Boston Area Health Center’s overall financial
health.
• To the extent that it allows us to better fulfill our mission of serving the community
and better reaching those affected by various diseases whom we have not
succeeded in reaching before, we will continue to seek opportunities to expand to
new sites.
• We must continue to expand access to care – by adding more weekend/evening
hours, by implementing walk-in services, or by utilizing standard orders for nurse
driven care.
• In addition to creating new programs aimed at children and seniors mentioned
above, we must continue to develop our care programs for these special
populations:
o Women: Through our partnership with BIDMC, we will explore the feasibility of
adding obstetric care within the next 5 years; as mentioned above, we will add
women’s health imaging in the next year. Moreover, we will continue to support
key services to women (2 outreach staff, a team program assistant, the
Women’s Health Brunch) that do not directly generate revenue but that create
significant value and context among patients.
o Specialty care people: Having worked diligently to create a solid framework for
specialty care primary care, the Specialty Care Health Team will now require
the assistance of the Board of Directors and the Management Team in
advocating for the provision of surgical services to Trans patients in the Boston
area.
We have two “growth” goals in Boston Area Health Center’s clinical strategic plan for
2012.
Growth Goal One: We will continue to grow our current services including dentistry,
optometry, pharmacy, Women’s Health, and community primary and behavioral health
care.
• We will grow wisely and smartly, adding appropriate support staff when required.
• We will develop a model of optimal practice support so that we can anticipate
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staffing needs and keep pace with our growth.
• We will continue to support the growth of our pharmacy services recognizing the
overall impact on Boston Area Health Center’s financial health.
• We will seek opportunities to expand to new sites and new neighborhoods to
provide clinical services that best fulfill our mission to serve community
communities and those at high risk of various diseases infection.
• We will expand services and potentially seek new sites to provide services to youth
through the City Youth Health Center.
• We will expand at our current sites, specifically the build out of the 6th
floor for
expanded dentistry and the 4th floor of our headquarters building for primary care.
We will pursue the potential for new and additional rental space.
Growth Goal Two: We will broaden the scope of care that we provide to develop a
Patient Centered Medical Home.
• We will expand our Women’s health care, through mammography, ultrasound, and
OB.
• We will develop appropriate clinical services and possible new locations to reach
seniors.
• We will advocate for improved specialty care services including policy for improved
surgical services, pediatric specialty care, and integration of behavioral health.
Conclusion
Boston Area Health Center’s clinical successes over the last ten years have placed the
organization in a very advantageous position. The preceding growth has created a
favorable environment that now allows us to focus on resource allocation, further staff
training, and exploration of new opportunities as they present themselves.
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Chapter Two: the Research Department
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the Research Department
Since Boston Area Health Center’s 2004 strategic planning process, the Research
Department of Boston Area Health Center has developed into a thriving multi-
disciplinary center branded as the Research Department. In 2006, a process began to
incorporate all research, educational programs and health policy work under the
umbrella of the Research Department. It is the Research Department’s integration with
the organization’s clinical services that support and define Boston Area Health Center as
one of the only academic community health centers in the country. This unique model
has become an example for other health organizations serving community and other
communities.
Key Elements of the Research Department’s Strategic Plan
Strategic planning for the Research Department began with documentation of our
accomplishments against the goals included in Boston Area Health Center’s 2004 plan.
A summary of these accomplishments, along with a SWOT analysis conducted at the
start of our planning process, are included in the Appendix of this document. Broad
strategic goals for the next five years, based on our work since the process began in
2011, are organized into three themes: growth, broadening our work in community
health, and our growing national and international impact.
the Research Department’s Strategic Planning Themes
the Research Department’s major accomplishments over the past several years can be
summarized in three categories: (1) the growth of the Research Department
over that time, in terms of increased faculty, budget, and research programs;
(2) the broadening of the Research Department’s work beyond community
health research to include community population science, and the creation of
training and professional development textbooks and other resources; and (3)
the expansion of Boston Area Health Center’s international leadership role in
community health research and policy, community health studies and policy,
and publication of several first-of-their-kind textbooks and training resources
for community health care professionals worldwide.
Growth:
the Research Department has seen immense growth since 2004. Revenue for the
Research Department has steadily grown from $3.3 million in FY 04 to $8.5 million for
FY 12. During that same time period, the the Research Department faculty grew from
4 to 15 members and the total staff (including faculty) grew from 28 to 85 employees.
Much of this growth is attributable to an expansion of our community health research
efforts, including doubling the number of NIH-funded research networks from two to
four, being one of only two domestic sites with expertise in implementing pre-exposure
prophylaxis studies, and expanding research work in areas of behavioral health,
epidemiological methods and health informatics. We have also expanded our
education, training and professional development work by bringing on senior faculty to
oversee our clinical training, and by centralizing all community education efforts within
the Research Department. Our Center for Population Research in community Health,
the first center of its kind funded by NIH in the country, has expanded our capacity to
work with pre- and post-doctoral students from about 5 per year in FY 04 to about 40
per year in FY 12. In FY 12, we recruited a new faculty member to oversee our
groundbreaking health policy research work in this area.
Broadening of effort to all aspects of community health
Boston Area Health Center has been a leader in community health research since
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1982, when we began longitudinal studies to follow the natural progression of the
disease. The concept of a multidisciplinary center was formed in 2000 when we used
our strong various diseases research infrastructure to support the development of an
international community health research institute. Since 2004, we have made great
strides to do exactly this. One of the Research Department’s biggest accomplishments
in this area was supported by an infrastructure grant from NIH to develop the Center
for Population Research in community Health. This “center without walls” brings
together over 50 researchers from throughout the country to engage in community
health population science. As part of its mission to develop the next generation of
community researchers, the Center matches students from around the country with
Center-affiliated faculty to provide mentorships on community health research. The
Center also offers an intensive 4-week summer course on research methods for
population research applicable to community health. Finally, the Center acts as a
resource to affiliated faculty, students and others interested in community health
research by creating a central repository of data sets that can be used for community
health research.
Our training and professional development work has focused on community health,
including the 2007 publishing of the first medical textbook focused on community
health, and an on-going series of grand rounds lectures in Boston’s leading teaching
hospitals (50 from 2009 – 2011). Given the highly visible nature of these efforts and
our partnership with two national medical organizations to implement them (The
American College of Physicians and the American Medical Association), the Research
Department has become more widely known as a national leader in the community
health movement.
As a direct result of our national community health efforts, the Research Department
had two faculty members appointed to a Research Department committee, which
published a report identifying gaps in community health research. the Research
Department was also publicly acknowledged for our part in ensuring inclusion of
community populations in Healthy People 2020. The IOM Report and Healthy People
2020 are two tools that support the importance of community health in the US as
elements of national health policy. Our participation in these efforts secures the
Research Department’s place in the national community health movement.
Impact
the Research Department has a national and international impact on the health of
people affected by community health, the community and others who face health
disparities. We participate in at least fifty local, national and international meetings
and conferences each year. We participate in three local coalitions, including groups
focused on the needs of the youngest and oldest in the community. We act as
conveners of the local, national and international communities, hosting at least three
conferences a year since Boston Area Health Center’s new conference center was
opened in 2009. Our policy work has led to community health becoming a priority
health issue, both nationally and internationally. In 2005, the community Health
Equity Network, a community-driven network of advocates and professionals looking to
enhance community health by eliminating tobacco use and other health disparities,
joined the Research Department. Since that date, the community Health Equity
Network has trained over 150 health departments and other groups on community
cultural competency. Since 2006, we have received research funding to work in Asia
and Europe and have provided consult on community health in Asia, Europe, Africa and
South America. The Boston Area Health Center Guide to Community Health remains
the only medical textbook in community health. Our Guide to Providing STI Service to
the Community: What Every Provider Should Know was translated to Spanish and
distributed throughout a network of 6 Central and South American countries. Our
publication of a resource book on other individuals remains one of the only such
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publications in the country and has been distributed widely. We have become a model
for community based research and were recognized by HRSA in 2010, which named
the Research Department as one of four Community Health Applied Research Networks
which focuses on research capacity building within community health centers.
Five Year Goals for the Research Department’s 2012 Strategic
Plan
Our overall goal for the Research Department is to be regarded as one of the top
community health research, training, education, and policy organizations in the world.
We have made great strides over the past decade toward this overall goal, and have
developed the following strategic goals with this in mind.
the Research Department’s Overall Goals
1. We will develop and adopt a business model for data center operations that is
self-sustaining. We will also review and re-vamp how the data center is
designed, managed, and resourced to facilitate and support all research and
health center data management, reporting, and analysis needs within a secure
environment.
2. In partnership with the Development Department, we will create and implement
a funding plan that will further diversify funding sources for the Research
Department infrastructure and divisions and work towards more solid long term
funding such as the creation of an endowment.
3. We will make the Research Department the international source for health and
wellness information and resources for community people through a robust
communications plan, an enhanced web presence, and continued participation
in the national and international community health movement.
4. We will continue to coordinate, both within Boston Area Health Center and the
Research Department, to ensure maximal synergy and effectiveness.
5. We will maintain adequate dedicated space for the Research Department staff
and projects, and continue to invest in technology that supports and enhances
our work.
6. We will continue to recruit and retain a diverse and highly skilled work force.
7. We will seek opportunities to develop new and expand existing academic
partnerships to support attaining our goals.
8. We will seek to better fulfill our mission and expand our scope of work by
continuing to evaluate and enhance our community partnerships.
9. We will seek funding for a translational research center which will produce
briefing papers and state-of-the-art conferences.
10. We will strengthen our infrastructure to ensure that contract, budget,
compliance and administrative needs are met for all of the Research
Department.
11. We will expand our portfolio to better represent all of the populations we serve,
especially individuals requiring specialty care people and minority women.
Research and Evaluation
1. We will build efforts in health services research, program evaluation, and global
community health. To accomplish this, we will recruit additional faculty and
expand our collaborations to continue to grow our research and evaluation
efforts.
2. We will develop research on the health priorities of minority women.
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Professional Development and Training
1. We will further establish a primary care residency program focused on
community health, develop a pool of trained clinicians available to provide on-
site training in community health and cross-cultural competence, and expand
upon the Population Center’s Summer Research Department. We will
accomplish this by recruiting additional faculty and expanding our collaborations
to continue to grow our professional development and training efforts.
2. We will become a leader in providing training for providers in specialty care
health care.
Community Education Programs
1. We will broaden our audience for the Research Department’s programming to
include all members of the community, and be more national in scope. We will
develop strategies for program development based on a matrix of target
populations, methods, desired outcomes, and conceptual frames for planning.
Health Policy Research and Advocacy
1. We will maintain a mission-driven policy advocacy plan which is based on our
research.
2. We will clarify internal decision-making and organizational relationships to
ensure that policy goals are consistent across the Research Department/Boston
Area Health Center.
3. We will produce high-quality, data-based publications to support our policy
work.
4. We will exert a positive influence on global standards of care for community
people.
Conclusion
the Research Department, from its early days as Boston Area Health Center’s Research
Department, has long been an integral part in the overall organization’s success. The
coordinated progress toward research, clinical, policy, and education/training goals
that has contributed to Boston Area Health Center’s success will be even more
important in a future that includes both expanding opportunities for international
leadership and likely challenges in maintaining the levels of financial support required
for continued community health research. The goals identified in this strategic plan are
intended to guide the Research Department’s future growth in a way that benefits the
entire Boston Area Health Center organization.
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Chapter Three: Development and Communications
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Development & Communications
Although closely aligned and connected, Development and Communications play
separate and distinct roles in the success of an organization. And while
communicating doesn’t always involve direct fundraising, it is a prerequisite for a
successful development program.
The umbrella of a strong and strategic communications program covers far more than
fundraising. It is the systematic planning and realization of information flow,
communication, media development, and image care, managed within a long-term
horizon.
Concurrently, fundraising couldn’t exist without communications to tell the
organization’s story and show why donors should give. But a well-synchronized
development plan requires much more than a broad delivery of the organization’s
message. It also requires the active and participatory involvement of senior
executives within the organization and a strong culture of philanthropy among the
Board of Directors.
Recent changes have made the relationship between Development and
Communications even more critical. The communications methods used by fundraisers
have become more sophisticated than ever. Reaching and keeping donors now
requires multiple communications channels. This requires familiarity with new and
evolving technologies such as social media, e-mail, web advertising, and so on. But it
also calls for increased personal attention to individual donors to deepen their
relationship with Boston Area Health Center.
During the next few years, we will seek to amalgamate the relationship between
Development and Communications to an even greater extent, and will reap the
benefits of a well-integrated strategy.
Key Elements of the Development and Communications
Strategic Plan
The Development and Communications Department has evolved since Boston Area
Health Center’s last strategic plan was completed in 2004. At that time, there was a
Development Department, but not a Communications Department (communications
were then the responsibility of the Development Department). Looking back at our
accomplishments therefore requires two separate perspectives: one that reviews our
progress toward then-identified development goals, and a second that discusses the
accomplishments of Boston Area Health Center’s communications efforts since that
time without any prior benchmarks.
The Development and Communications Departments’ 2012 strategic plan includes a
review of our progress since the completion of Boston Area Health Center’s last
strategic plan in 2004, the SWOT analysis conducted by all participating departments
(both of these are included with the others in the appendix of this plan), and a
presentation of strategic goals for the next five or more years, separated into goals for
development, and for communications, to better articulate our specific plans, and to
express them in a way that facilitates the measurement of our success against these
goals.
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Five-Year Goals for Development’s 2012 Strategic Plan
After reviewing a snapshot of where we currently are and how we got here over the
past several years, our group identified several specific goals for both Development
and Communications that, when successfully executed, will deliver powerful results for
Boston Area Health Center. Below are the goals for Boston Area Health Center’s
Development Department, followed by a second set of goals for Communications.
1. We will find more ways to engage and involve the Board of Directors in
philanthropy
• Considerable growth in Boston Area Health Center’s fundraising will
depend on the example set by Boston Area Health Center’s Board of
Directors. Only if board members are willing to make a significant
financial investment in their organization can we expect the wider
community to do so.
• Members of Boston Area Health Center’s Board of Directors will actively
make Boston Area Health Center a philanthropic priority, and their top
community philanthropic priority. They will make meaningful annual gifts
that reflect this priority.
• Development will be much more intimately involved in collaboration with
the Membership Committee in proposing candidates, and in
communicating and strategizing with them.
• Special emphasis will be put on identifying new board members with the
capacity to make significant five and six figure annual fund gifts an to
connect us with others who can support Boston Area Health Center in a
similar manner.
• Board members will meet regularly with Development staff to assist and
support the leadership giving of Boston Area Health Center.
• We will update the guidelines for Board membership and make sure all
Board members are clear on the role of philanthropy at Boston Area
Health Center.
• We will make annual fund participation and support of Boston Area
Health Center’s development efforts a requirement for re-nomination for
each two-year term.
2. We will move our leadership giving levels up at all gift amounts
• Our current leadership giving levels range from $1,340 to $50,000.
However, of the more than 225 gifts at this level, 80% are at $2,500 or
below. While $1,340 is a good entry point for a “major” gift, we need to
move the higher end range up to have significant annual fund gifts at
the $50,000, $100,000, $250,000, $500,000 level and above. This will
include a strategy of moving donors from one level to the next ($1,340
to $2,500 and $10,000 to $25,000 for example) as well as engaging
new donors to Boston Area Health Center at $50,000 level and higher.
• This will require time, consistency, and help from outside consultants.
The results of success will make Boston Area Health Center a major
player in the local and national philanthropic arena.
• We will require additional support from development professionals with a
proven track record of closing six figure gifts.
• We will explore the establishment of a recognition vehicle for our most
active supporters who have left the Boards of Directors and Visitors.
Our goal will be to keep our most loyal supporters engaged (and thus
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financially supportive) of Boston Area Health Center.
3. We will build our donor base outside of Boston
• We will capitalize on the tremendous opportunity to build donors outside
of Boston, specifically in areas like New York, Chicago, south Florida,
San Francisco and Los Angeles.
• We will build on the work of the Research Department as a primary
connection for this effort.
• We will maintain significant investment in this program even as results
will not likely be immediately evident.
• We will develop improved and more consistent communication about the
work of the Research Department in the national media.
• We will build collaborative and supportive relationships with community
organizations in these cities/areas.
4. Boston Area Health Center will be the leading planned giving choice for
the community in New England
• Planned giving will be an important part of our long-term revenue
stream and endowment growth.
• We will build the infrastructure to support and grow an extensive
planned giving program and hire the expertise to manage it.
• Planned giving is a long term strategy. We will not likely see any return
on our investment for at least 5-7 years. Within 20 years, we should be
able to predict with a high level of accuracy an annual amount of
anticipated revenue from planned giving.
• A new giving society for long-time, consistent donors at any level will be
implemented to identify logical targets for planned giving.
5. We will determine a longer term plan for Boston Area Health Center’s
events
• The current event structure has worked well for many years. Is there an
opportunity to significantly increase revenue or attendance? If so, how
will we go about realizing these increases? If not, what are the
implications for our future events strategy? The Development team will
lay out a separate SWOT analysis for the current events.
• The events are becoming more mixed as time passes. Is it possible that
at some point they may naturally morph onto one single event? We’ll
need to analyze what the actual mix is…from a community perspective,
or from an organizational perspective, or both.
6. We will build the endowment for Boston Area Health Center and the
Research Department
• Boston Area Health Center’s current endowment stands at about
$2,000,000.
• We will develop a clear and meaningful plan for growing the endowment.
• We will prepare a roster of specific opportunities, such as endowed
chairs or endowed programs.
• Planned giving will be a key to growing the endowment.
• We will build the endowment to $10,000,000 by 2020.
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7. We will position Boston Area Health Center as an organization that's
here to stay.
• Successful organizations with mature fund raising programs have an
aura of perpetuity about them.
• Donors and prospective donors know that organizations like Harvard
University, Mass General Hospital and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts
will be here today, and tomorrow.
• Donors are more likely to support organizations that will be around for
the long term.
• Development will work closely with the Communications department to
build the Boston Area Health Center brand toward the concept of long-
term sustainability for the organization.
Successful implementation of these development goals will result in several significant
accomplishments:
• We will have an engaged, active and philanthropically-driven Board of
Directors.
• We will have a planned giving program that will deliver significant resources to
the organization on an annual basis, and will provide healthy growth in our
endowment.
• Our donor base will grow significantly in both diversity of donors and reach of
influence.
• We will see a healthy, consistent, and steady growth in the annual fund in the
range of 8 – 10% per year.
Five-Year Goals for Communication’s 2012 Strategic Plan
1. Articulate a clear mandate for the Communications Department
• The Communications Department will own the communications process
for the entire organization, including but not limited to patient
acquisition communications, employee communications, etc.
• The goals and purpose of the Communications Department will be
clearly understood throughout the organization.
• The organization will look to the Communications Department as a
critical resource for assisting in departmental initiatives and programs.
2. Acquire and maintain up-to-date demo- and psycho-graphics on our
key audiences
• Key audiences will include patients, volunteers, donors, the media, event
attendees, members of the community and other allied communities not
familiar with Boston Area Health Center, and others.
• We will acquire and manage the data that is necessary to better
understand our audiences and how to communicate to their individual
and specific needs.
3. Take an organization-wide, integrated approach to marketing and
communications
• This approach must be centralized for the entire organization, with
dedicated resources adequate to establish a stronger marketing and
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communications effort that is both consistent for branding purposes and
flexible enough to adapt to the individual needs of each operating unit.
• We will address the need for a centralized marketing function at Boston
Area Health Center, and will develop an integrated approach to
marketing communications that will help manage customer
relationships, drive brand value, and ensure consistency of our message
across all media.
4. Foster an environment of two-way communications
• We will make sure our communities and stakeholders have the ability
and to communicate with us, and encourage them to do so.
• We will use input from key constituents to help shape and reshape the
communication process.
• We will make sure we can communicate with each other about us.
• We will develop effective cross-departmental communication systems to
provide truly integrated marketing communication.
• We will keep abreast of and utilize the latest technology (i.e.: social
media) to foster an environment of collaborative communication.
5. Dedicate the staffing resources necessary to achieve excellence
• We will hire additional staff needed to achieve our goals of integrated
marketing communications. These resources will enable us to focus on
promotion/marketing of our ancillary services, national publicity, data
management, target marketing, etc.
• We will train current staff on new skill sets when necessary and possible.
• We will bring in additional skills and knowledge by hiring new staff or
using consultants.
6. Create reasonable metrics for measuring performance and ROI
• We will invest in tools to help us establish a benchmark of our current
position in key communication measurements.
• Once we’ve established these measurements, we will determine where
we want to be within a specified time period.
• We will dedicate the resources necessary to achieve desired goals in the
desired timeframe.
• We will continue to measure standards in a consistent way to measure
progress and determine the value of resources invested.
Successful implementation of these communications goals will result in several
significant accomplishments:
• Boston Area Health Center will become the thought leader for community
health issues, both locally and nationally.
• We will expand the national and international profile of Boston Area Health
Center and the Research Department.
• We will motivate and inspire the community and allied communities.
• There will be increased financial support for Boston Area Health Center and the
Research Department.
• We will create a personal/individual connection between each stakeholder and
Boston Area Health Center that will stand the test of time.
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Conclusion
We’ve seen solid growth and accomplishments for both the Development and
Communications groups over the past several years. We’re well positioned for
continued growth and excellence in the coming years. With the proper investment in
both of these areas, we will be able to capitalize on the favorable environment Boston
Area Health Center has created to better spread the word about the tremendous work
we do to broaden our level of support and the spectrum of those individuals and
organizations who support us.
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Chapter Four: Resources and Organization
31

Resources and Organization
This chapter of Boston Area Health Center’s 2012 strategic plan combines two broad
terms: “resources,” and “organization.” Resources is a term that references the
financial and physical assets required for Boston Area Health Center’s continuing
operations and the operating systems that configure these assets into efficient support
programs such as IT, data management, customer service, etc. Organization is
shorthand for Boston Area Health Center’s human resources – the staff and volunteers
who work within the organization, the structure in which they collaborate and
communicate with each other, along with personnel-related systems such as
succession planning, recruitment, staff training, etc.
Organizational elements of Boston Area Health Center participating in this chapter of
the strategic plan include its finance and administration department, human resources,
senior management, and the board of directors. Our plan begins with a look a four
planning themes that apply to the entire organization, but which have a distinct
priority for the people and systems represented in this chapter.
National and International Leadership
Boston Area Health Center is an increasingly important player in the national and
international fields of health care, clinical research, provider education, and policy
development. With this expanding leadership come new challenges and opportunities,
many of which rise beyond the scope of individual departments such as clinical
services, the Research Department, or development and communications. The entire
organization must be poised for this role, and both senior staff and Boston Area Health
Center’s central infrastructure people and systems will have important new
responsibilities associated with our growing global responsibilities.
“Hub and Spoke”
The 2004 plan identified a “hub and spoke” conceptual organization structure for
Boston Area Health Center, in which a central facility would include primary care,
behavioral health, research, policy development, provider education, and the health
center’s institutional infrastructure. This “hub” is home to the finance and
administration department, which is responsible for much of the central infrastructure
that must be responsive to the “spokes” where primary care and other direct services
are provided to Boston Area Health Center’s patient population. Today, these spokes
include such physical locations as the City Youth Health Center, Boston Area Health
Center: New Neighborhood , and Boston Area Health Center: Sixteen. Conceptually,
these spokes also include the Research Department’s clinical research, provider
education, and policy development programs. In the future, Boston Area Health
Center’s spokes may include other communities where community people and other
communities needing Boston Area Health Center’s care call home, along with the
expanding network of organizations and individuals collaborating with the Research
Department and Boston Area Health Center throughout the world.
A Commitment to Growth
As noted in the introduction to this 2012 strategic plan, growth will clearly be a part of
Boston Area Health Center’s future. We may not know today the specifics of when or
how this growth will evolve. We may not yet know whether it will begin with
geographic expansion through more spokes, or the addition of new clinical services
needed by our communities, or the addition of new research, education and policy
programs at the Research Department. But in a world in which community people are
aging along with the American population, where there are more community families
with children, and where there is still a need for better understanding of various
diseases, specialty care health, and geriatric health, it is clear that the need for new
and expanded Boston Area Health Center services will continue.
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Managing Uncertainty
External pressures on Boston Area Health Center will be unavoidable even as the
organization seeks to fulfill its mission. Uncertainties about health care reform, federal
funding for health care in general and various diseases services in particular, the
national economy, and the future of the medical care system in Massachusetts must
be evaluated, anticipated, and managed.
Planning for the next three to five years leads us to an expansive view of the central
organizational core required for continued growth. Therefore, this chapter of the plan
defines that core infrastructure to include senior staff, the board, and key outside
advisors. Strategic planning for Boston Area Health Center’s resources and
organization will involve succession planning for key staff; board development,
recruitment, and engagement; and staff training and promotion programs to ensure
bench strength for the future.
Key Elements of the Resources and Organization Strategic Plan
Given the context of the 2012 Boston Area Health Center Strategic Plan, the Resources
and Organization chapter’s goals can be divided into three parts:
• First is the completion of Boston Area Health Center’s historic expansion as it
was envisioned in the 2004 strategic plan. This includes building out the final
two floors of local, for expanded clinical services and the Research Department;
completing the integration of the City Youth Health Center, Boston Area Health
Center: New Neighborhood , and Boston Area Health Center: 16 into the larger
organization; supporting the success of the Research Department; and
expanding the physical and managerial infrastructure required for successful
operation of dental and eye care services.
• Second is a conceptual framework to guide Boston Area Health Center’s future
growth. This includes staying on top of changes in the external environment;
expanding both the hub and spokes of our organization structure when
necessary; developing new services required by Boston Area Health Center’s
target populations, including pediatrics for community families and elder care
for an aging population; and supporting the growth of the Research Department
and its unique research, education, and policy programs.
• The third set of goals focus on how Boston Area Health Center adapts and
expands its infrastructure to ensure continued success in a changing world. We
must respond to change by changing our organizational structure in the right
way, and at the right time. We must also define succession plans for the CEO,
senior staff, and the board; assess and realign Boston Area Health Center's
relationship with strategic partners; and prepare for growth that might be
strategically planned, or a response to new opportunities. Specific issues such
as staff training, customer service, IT, and recruitment will be part of this
section.
Along with the other organizational units participating in Boston Area Health Center’s
current strategic planning effort, the Resources and Organization team began with a
review of its progress since the last strategic plan, and a SWOT analysis of our current
situation. Documents summarizing these two processes are included in the Appendix of
this plan. Because there was no formal Resources and Organization section of the
2004 strategic plan, our team organized its review of the past several years of our
operations into six planning themes. These include:
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• Mission-driven growth: how Boston Area Health Center has expanded its
services, its geographic footprint in Greater Boston, and its national and
international leadership as a health care organization.
• Facilities: the specifics of Boston Area Health Center’s construction and
acquisition of physical space, and how this space has been developed to house
a growing Boston Area Health Center.
• External influences on Boston Area Health Center’s growth: a look at the
local, regional, national, and international trends in health care knowledge,
practices, policy, funding, and other aspects of our industry that have and will
affect our operations.
• Internal systems to support Boston Area Health Center’s operations: an
assessment of the infrastructure we will need to create and nurture in order to
remain in our leadership position as a community health center and a global
health care organization.
• Organization structure: a review of Boston Area Health Center’s
management and communications systems with an eye toward how these may
need adjustment as growth continues.
• Succession plans: a specific look at Boston Area Health Center’s senior
leadership, on both a staff and board level, to ensure that effective leadership
will remain as a key organizational asset in a rapidly changing world.
These planning themes are discussed in more detail in the Resources and Organization
team’s summary of our progress since 2004.
Five-Year Goals for the Resources and Organization 2012
Strategic Plan
Based on our analysis of Boston Area Health Center’s current situation, and a review of
the six major themes within the finance and administration department’s span of
control, we have identified the following goals for the next five years.
1. Continuing Boston Area Health Center’s Historic Expansion
• We will nurture the programs and services that are at the core of Boston
Area Health Center’s and the Research Department’s international leadership in
care, research, education, and policy development.
• We will maximize use of our current space through rational staffing and
infrastructure development, and will market the use of this space to current and
future consumers.
• We will continue to inform Boston Area Health Center staff about the
capabilities of our expanding infrastructure, and will train them to use these
systems to their maximum advantage.
• We will develop an organization-wide methodology for assessing the need for,
and for the planning and management of future expansion.
2. Guiding Future Growth
• We will always know our target populations and will use this knowledge to guide
service and program development. This will include the addition of new clinical
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services, geographic expansion, and the development of strategic alliances.
• We are committed to our “hub and spoke” conceptual organization structure
and will use it to manage a growing Boston Area Health Center.
• We will be flexible and ready for unforeseen opportunities.
3. An Infrastructure for Future Success
• We will examine Boston Area Health Center’s staff organizational structure and
adjust it when required to continue the organization’s continued success.
• We will develop succession planning for key individuals in staff and board
leadership.
• We will maintain and grow our strategic alliances in Boston, Massachusetts, the
nation, and beyond to help achieve Boston Area Health Center’s goals.
• We will continue to invest in Boston Area Health Center’s infrastructure systems
– staff training, recruitment, customer service, IT, public relations, marketing,
etc. – so that they will be capable of supporting Boston Area Health Center’s
strategic growth. This includes systems that are located at the organization’s
hub and its spokes.
• We will ensure that our infrastructure for success is not only an organizational
asset, but includes an understanding of our mission, vision, and values that live
within each employee and volunteer.
Conclusion
Success in achieving Boston Area Health Center’s strategic goals for its financial and
managerial infrastructure will be measured in two important ways:
• Tangible Milestones
The implementation or improvement of specific systems and procedures
designed to benefit the entire organization. One example of this type of success
would be the expansion of training programs to help staff make the best use of
Boston Area Health Center’s IT systems. Another might be the adoption of
succession plans for the CEO and other key leaders. A third might be the
formalization of customer service standards that are a consistent element of
every interaction between Boston Area Health Center and its patients, partners,
and volunteers.
Tangible milestones might also include the development of new service
programs that are carefully considered, developed, and implemented as part of
a long-term growth strategy. Examples of these services might include elder
care for community people and pediatrics for children of younger patient
couples. Other milestones in the fields of research, education, and policy
development will also serve to measure Boston Area Health Center’s continuing
success as a leading international health care organization.
• A Constant Readiness for New Opportunities
Boston Area Health Center’s leadership and core managerial team will succeed
in guiding the health center through future challenges and opportunities if we
are always well-informed about both the internal state of our organization and
the external world in which we operate. More important, we will succeed if we
35

are able to identify the opportunities that present themselves both internally
and externally, and develop sound plans and programs to make the most of
them.
Managing uncertainty will almost surely be a constant presence in Boston Area
Health Center’s next five years, and maintaining our organization’s strong track
record of not only seeing around the curve, but steering our health care
organization through both good and difficult times, will always be a key element
in Boston Area Health Center’s future success.
36

Appendix 1: 2004 Strategic Plan Goals and Related
Accomplishments
37

2004 Clinical Strategic Plan and Related Accomplishments
A list of Boston Area Health Center 2004 Strategic Plan goals and their outcomes
demonstrates that this last period of Boston Area Health Center’s history has been one
of marked growth in all clinical departments and partnerships. Highlights include the
physical expansion of clinical spaces at Boston Area Health Center: New Neighborhood,
the building of Boston Area Health Center’s new main health center in 2009 and the
acquisition of the City Youth Health Center in 2010.
This expansion in physical capacity drove a significant increase both in total visits and
in the number of patients served by the health center. In both the Medical and
Behavioral Health Departments, for example, patient visits increased by approximately
50% in the last decade
New clinical services – including eye care and dentistry in 2009 and pulmonary care in
2011 – were introduced, and existing services – including gynecology, podiatry, anal
colposcopy, psychopharmacology, and group behavioral health therapy – expanded
significantly. Growth in clinical and retail pharmacy services has been, by far the
strongest driver of financial growth at Boston Area Health Center, accounting for 50%
of total revenue in the last fiscal year.
The addition of nonclinical and clinical support staff to clinical departments has greatly
increased Boston Area Health Center’s capacity to interface with new communities and
to strengthen existing ties through more vigorous outreach efforts, health education
events, and marketing materials advertising the services Boston Area Health Center
offers.
Boston Area Health Center has strengthened its relationship with Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center over the last decade, and this has resulted in both a more
seamless care connection between the two institutions with respect to patient care
transitions, and a robust academic partnership aimed at training tomorrow’s
community and community health providers.
Despite these achievements, several goals from the 2004 Strategic Plan have not yet
been actualized. For example, despite Boston Area Health Center’s acquisition of the
City Youth Health Center (which specializes in adolescent care) in 2010, a feasibility
study and a plan for initiating a pediatrics program are still lacking. At the other end of
the age spectrum, a comprehensive effort aimed at assessing the needs of seniors in
our communities, and then implementing a multidisciplinary approach to meeting
these needs has not yet begun.
Detail Strategic Plan 2004 Clinical Services Goals & Outcomes
Organized by ten service-related sub-departments, following are the goals from our
last strategic plan, with a brief summary of accomplishments for each goal.
Medical Department
The medical department had three goals in Boston Area Health Center’s 2004 strategic
plan.
Goal One: Increase number of visits 7% per year.
Outcomes:
• Visits increased from approximately 30,000 in FY2002 to 45,000 in FY 2010,
matching the 7% growth rate forecast in the 2004 plan.
• This growth was due to both increased demand and the expansion of Boston
Area Health Center’s facilities during these years.
38

Goal Two: Explore the feasibility of initiating a pediatrics program.
Outcomes:
• In FY2010, Boston Area Health Center acquired the City Youth Health Center.
• Children can be served in Boston Area Health Center’s dental and vision care
programs.
Goal Three: Increase the number of procedures performed by providers and expand
specialty care services available on site.
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center added multiple services over the past several years,
including:
o FY2005: added anal colposcopy services (2005 and expansions in 2008
and 2011).
o Lumbar puncture service (2009).
o Expanded cervical colposcopy and podiatry services (2010).
o Contraception and pulmonary clinics (2010).
Behavioral Health Department
The Behavioral Health Department had three goals in Boston Area Health Center’s
2004 strategic plan.
Goal One: Grow by 3% annually.
Outcomes:
• Visits increased from 20,000 in FY 2002 to over 29,000 in FY 2011, exceeding
the target growth rate identified in the 2004 plan.
• Accomplishments related to this increase include:
o The beginning of behavioral health services at Boston Area Health
Center: New Neighborhood in 2008.
o A significant increase in group visits, evidenced by a 53% increase in
such visits in 2010 vs. 2009.
Goal Two: Expand hours of psychopharmacology service.
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center has doubled its psychiatry staff from 1.5 FTEs in
2002 to 3.0 FTEs in 2011.
Goal Three: Additional service expansion, including youth services, substance abuse
services, medical social work, and victim recovery services.
Outcomes:
• In FY 2010, Boston Area Health Center acquired The City Youth Health Center,
and also implemented a suboxone/opiate addiction program.
• In 2011, two social work positions were added, a 50% increase since 2002.
• The victim recovery program also expanded by one FTE in 2011 for the first
time in ten years, due to new funding.
community health Care
Boston Area Health Center’s community health Care program had one goal in Boston
Area Health Center’s 2004 strategic plan.
Goal One: Identify and expand resources to respond to the community health epidemic
39

in Outcomes:
• In Greater Boston, Boston Area Health Center increased its various diseases
patients from 1,000 in FY 2002 to 1,500 in FY 2011, an average increase of
approximately 7% per year.
Women’s Health
Boston Area Health Center’s Women’s Health programs had four goals in the 2004
plan.
Goal One: Provide key, unreimbursed services to women: AI Program related parent
training programs, geriatric cancer support group, and geriatric health promotion
series.
Outcomes:
• In FY 2008, we named a new Director of Women’s Health, and a Women’s
Health Program Assistant was added, increasing Women’s Health support staff
to 2.0 FTE.
• In FY 2009, a Minority Outreach Assistant was added, increasing women’s
health support staff to 3.0 FTE.
• In FY 2010, a Women’s Health Education and Outreach Coordinator was added,
increasing Women’s Health support staff to 4.0 FTE.
Goal Two: Develop a cohesive presentation of available services, programs, and
projects; Enhance coordination across services and programs dealing with women’s
health.
Outcomes:
• The Women's Health Team has thoroughly catalogued all of Boston Area Health
Center's women's health services; this information is available in binder form
on the clinical floors, and also in electronic form on the Boston Area Health
Center webpage.
• Boston Area Health Center now holds a semimonthly, multidisciplinary Women's
Health Team meeting, which allows for better coordination of women's health
services across the organization.
Goal Three: Identify and establish mechanisms to annually identify emerging health
needs in the women’s communities in order to anticipate and guide resource
development initiatives in underserved communities
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center created a new Women's Health Outreach
Coordinator position within the Women's Health Team in 2009, which has
allowed the organization to create a larger presence at numerous outreach
events in the community, and to better assess the needs of women through
better dialoguing at these events. Thanks to the input obtained by the Women's
Health Outreach Coordinator, we have been able to successfully implement new
Women's Health programs at Boston Area Health Center, such as the initiation
of free or low cost family planning services at the headquarters building and the
delivery of a free wellness curriculum to female patients.
Goal Four: Present health promotion programs that offer prevention education
addressing health issues confronting women of color.
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center has increased its support of the annual Women’s
Health Cancer Awareness Brunch, an event that seeks to gather women and
their friends who have been affected by cancer. The event is now in its
thirteenth year and moved from the campus of Simmons College to the
40

headquarters building in 2009. Numerous educational and healing sessions take
place in conjunction with the brunch, offering an opportunity for Boston Area
Health Center to hear from women of color in particular.
Men’s Health
Boston Area Health Center’s 2004 strategic plan included two goals for its MEN’S
Health programs.
Goal One: Expand awareness and increase recognition of Boston Area Health Center’s
prevention and wellness services for men and identify new resources for men’s health.
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center has continued to increase patient volume, mostly
through word of mouth in the communities we serve, but also through a greater
presence in community outreach activities. Boston Area Health Center has
partnered with organizations like Americorps to create outreach positions in the
clinical departments. This has enabled Boston Area Health Center to, for
example, set up information tables at more events serving the community.
Boston Area Health Center clinical providers have also continued to support
community outreach efforts by volunteering to give talks on health issues at
numerous events.
• Boston Area Health Center has worked closely with the Department of Public
Health's Division of STD Prevention, in response to recent increases in syphilis
and other STD incidence rates among people of color, to institute one of only
three comprehensive STD clinics in the city of Boston. At these clinics, clients
can receive various diseases testing, STD testing and treatment, immunizations
against hepatitis, and counseling regarding safer sex and harm reduction -- all
free of charge.
Goal Two: Develop a cohesive presentation of available men’s health services,
programs, and projects.
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center's clinical departments have worked closely with the
Communications Department to create a comprehensive listing of services for
men on the Boston Area Health Center webpage.
Specialty care Health
Boston Area Health Center’s Specialty care Health program had one goal in the FY
Goal One: Seek foundation and/or public funds to support multidisciplinary efforts to
meet emerging needs of clients, and identify training resources re: specialty care
health for the provider community.
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center’s specialty care patient population grew from about
140 in FY 2002 to 600 in FY 2011.
• This growth was supported by the formation of a multidisciplinary specialty care
clinical team in FY 2006, including the hiring of a Specialty care Program
Manager, and a revision of Boston Area Health Center’s specialty care health
protocols in 2007.
Senior Heath
There was one goal for Boston Area Health Center’s Senior Health programs in the
41

Goal One: Seek foundation and/or public funds to support multidisciplinary efforts to
meet emerging needs of clients, and identify training resources re: senior health for
the provider community
Outcomes:
• In FY 2002, a Senior Support Group was started.
• In FY 2011, Boston Area Health Center began to offer the senior support group
as a free service when it no longer reimbursable through Medicare.
Pharmacy
There was one pharmacy goal in Boston Area Health Center’s 2004 strategic plan.
Goal One: Utilize the pharmacy to meet patient needs, contribute to the organization’s
financial health, and more readily participate in research studies.
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center opened its first pharmacy in 2003, followed by a
second at Boston Area Health Center: New Neighborhood .
• By FY 2010, there were over $21 million in pharmacy sales, with two pharmacy
sites including retail and clinical pharmacy services.
Laboratory
Boston Area Health Center’s Laboratory had one goal in the 2004 strategic plan.
Goal One: Determine whether or not Boston Area Health Center will offer laboratory
services.
Outcomes:
• In FY 2002, lab services were outsourced to Quest Diagnostics.
• In FY 2006, Boston Area Health Center’s then-headquarters outsourced lab
services to BIDMC.
• Lab services for Boston Area Health Center: New Neighborhood continues to be
outsourced to Quest.
Clinical Partners
There was one goal in Boston Area Health Center’s 2004 strategic plan related to its
clinical partners.
Goal One: Evaluate the current relationship with BIDMC and explore potential
alternatives.
Outcomes:
• Today, Boston Area Health Center remains closely allied with BIDMC and BID
Provider Organization for contracting, specialist and inpatient care, and the
provision of laboratory and other diagnostic services.
Clinical Training
There was one clinical training goal in Boston Area Health Center’s 2004 strategic plan.
Goal One: Explore the development of an community focused community based
primary care training program in collaboration with an academic medical center.
Outcome:
• Funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), FY 2010
saw the inauguration of BIDMC’s Primary Care Boston Area Health Center Track
– the first community-focused residency training program in the country.
42

The Research Department’s 2004 Strategic Plan and Related
Accomplishments
The Research Department’s progress against its 2004 Strategic Goals is summarized
below. Each of the nine goals from that plan is written in italics, followed by a
summary of what has been accomplished and what remains to be done for that goal.
Goal One: We will need to attract new faculty, post-doc’s, and fellows through
collaborations with Harvard Medical School and Brown University.
Outcomes:
• the Research Department faculty has expanded from 4 to 15 members.
• In 2010, the Research Department began a 4-week Summer Research
Department to train 18 pre and post-doctoral students in community health
population research methods per year.
• the Research Department works with an additional 20 pre and post-doctoral
medical and public health interns per year through Harvard Medical School,
Brown University and local, national and international academic centers.
Goal Two: Based on Boston Area Health Center’s long-history of health-related
research (primarily various diseases-related), we wish to extend our research activities
to community health issues.
Outcomes:
• the Research Department was awarded a 5-year infrastructure grant from
NICHD in 2007 to establish the Center for Population Research in community
Health.
Goal Three: We intend to expand federal and foundation support over the next several
years.
Outcomes:
• Grant revenue for the Research Department grew from $3.3 million in FY 04 to
a projected $8 million budget for FY 12.
• The majority of funding continues to be from government sources.
• the Research Department has not successfully expanded foundation support.
Goal Four: We will need to seek philanthropic support for some of these efforts in
order to fund cutting-edge research that would be less likely to receive government or
foundation funding.
Outcomes:
• the Research Department has used general funds to support developing
cutting-edge research in the following areas:
o STI intervention development with sex workers
o Formative qualitative interviews with specialty care men and women
o Chart review studies of our local population and other patient charts
o Infrastructure and pilot development with collaborators serving
disadvantaged individuals in India.
o Developmental work on systematically capturing important health
information in electronic health records.
o Developmental work addressing community aging research needs.
o Developmental work addressing community youth research needs.
Goal Five: So that Boston Area Health Center Community Health can improve and
expand its important role in training health care professionals, Boston Area Health
Center Community Health will seek dedicated support for this purpose.
43

Outcomes:
• Approximately $350,000 per year has been raised to support these efforts since
2006 resulting in the first medical text book focused on community health,
companion lecture notes and slides for the text and a grand round series for 15
teaching hospitals throughout the country.
Goal Six: Boston Area Health Center intends to explore the development of an
community focused community based primary care training program in collaboration
with an area academic medical center.
Outcomes:
• Residency program with BI was expanded in 2008 from 3 to 6 residents.
Weekly didactic sessions focused on various diseases and community health
also began.
• Additional funding was secured to develop an various diseases/community
curriculum for the residency program in collaboration with Beth-Israel
Deaconess (BI) in 2010.
Goal Seven: We will ensure the National Coalition for Community Health’s capacity to
maintain a strong policy effort targeting Congress and the Administration focused on
Healthy People 2010.”
Outcomes:
• Boston Area Health Center has continued to participate on and support the
National Coalition for Community Health.
Goal Eight: We will also create successful programs that address specific problems –
such as anti-minority community violence or teen suicide -- that can be replicated
within other community-based organizations nationwide.
Outcomes:
• the Research Department has successfully adapted health navigation for
various diseases prevention (2004- present), crystal meth prevention (2007-
2010) and connecting people with various diseases to care (2001 – 2005).
• From 2004 – 2008 and 2010 to present, the Research Department has worked
with CDC to adapt and evaluate Disease Prevention interventions to better
serve people of color.
• the Research Department has not created new programs for anti-minority
community violence or teen suicide.
Goal Nine: Appropriate consideration will be given to adding staff in a timely manner to
deal with billing, compliance and data workloads.”
Outcomes:
• the Research Department staffing for compliance and data have expanded since
2004 from 3 to 10 full time staff members.
• Dedicated contract and budget staffing for the Research Department has
remained at 1 FTE.
44

SAMPLE Health Center Strategic Plan, June, 2012

SAMPLE Health Center Strategic Plan, June, 2012

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