Engaging With Patients and Community Partners
UMass Memorial Health works with patients, community groups and local partners to advance community health equity across Central Massachusetts and beyond.
Through the Community Health Equity Team (CHET), we partner with healthcare providers, community organizations, local government and other sectors focused on the conditions that shape health. Our teams show up consistently, listen carefully and work to align efforts with community priorities.
Why Partnerships Matter
Community health challenges are complex and interconnected. No single organization can address them alone. Regional coalitions and community tables create space for shared understanding, aligned strategies and collective action.
By participating in these partnerships, UMass Memorial shares its perspective as a healthcare system and learns from community partners with deep local knowledge and lived experience.
Where We Partner
UMass Memorial Health participates in partnerships focused on:
- Food access and regional food systems
- Health equity and social drivers of health
- Economic stability and workforce development
We also partner with patients who have lived experience with food insecurity and received referral support. Their feedback helps us adapt services to better meet patient needs. These partnerships span communities across Central Massachusetts and continue to grow as needs and opportunities change.
How We Show Up
Through CHET, UMass Memorial supports community health equity through various roles:
- Partner: Aligning health system work with community priorities
- Investor: Supporting community-led programs and infrastructure
- Anchor institution: Using resources and purchasing power responsibly
- Advocate: Joining conversations that influence policy and systems
Our role may vary across partnerships, but our commitment to collaboration remains the same.
Why This Work Matters
Trust and longstanding relationships help ensure community health equity work stays informed, coordinated and responsive. By working alongside community partners and sharing resources where they are most needed, we help support solutions that are equitable and sustainable over time.