UMass Memorial Health – Marlborough Hospital Community Benefits Program

The UMass Memorial Health – Marlborough Hospital team partners with local organizations, schools and community stakeholders to offer services and support to people of all ages. We focus on addressing the most pressing issues affecting our community. We work closely with children and adults to provide:  

• Health and wellness screenings
• Improved access to medical care
• Literacy initiatives to promote reading
• Nutritional advice and healthy eating workshops
• Programs that encourage active living

Our team also helps individuals and families navigate the health care system, obtain health insurance, enroll in public assistance programs and get nutrition vouchers. We focus on empowering members of our community to manage their wellness. 

Our Programs

Our dedicated team provides direct-in-community services designed specifically to enhance the well-being of our residents.

Tools for School

This program provides kids in the community with backpacks filled with school supplies to prepare them for a new school year. At Marlborough Hospital, we collaborated with the Community Cupboard team of the United Way of Tri-County, which builds and donates backpacks each year for kids of all ages. The Marlborough Hospital team gathered supplies for teens, including adult-sized backpacks, notebooks, binders and protractors, and they assembled and donated fully stocked backpacks.

Little Free Library

In collaboration with city and public school officials, Marlborough Hospital launched the “Little Free Library” at the front entrance of the hospital. Studies have shown that books in children’s hands improve literacy. Fostering a culturally diverse and sensitive environment, the library brings health and wellness books to patients with limited English proficiency and those who may not have access. Books are available in Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Creole and other languages.

Kits for Kids

Caregivers and community members work together to build “Kits for Kids” for pediatric patients in Marlborough Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED) and the Marlborough Community Cupboard. Kits for Kids is a Marlborough-based nonprofit helping children in foster care or medical facilities by providing age-appropriate kits, including a stuffed animal, socks, handknit items and toiletries for teens.

Community Health Needs Assessment

To address the needs of people in our community, we begin by identifying those needs and gaps in care. Our Marlborough Hospital team worked with local organizations to conduct a Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA) of the MetroWest region.

The CHNA evaluates some of the factors affecting community health. These include education and employment, access to healthy food, poverty levels and rates of substance use disorder and crime. The CHNA outlined certain issues that should be addressed, such as healthy aging, active living and access to behavioral health care.

View the 2019 Community Health Needs Assessment. 

Community Health Improvement Plan

After pinpointing specific areas of need, we partnered with community stakeholders to create a Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP). The CHIP includes measurable objectives that tackle specific concerns from the CHNA. The CHIP focuses on several objectives:

• Encourage physical activity to reduce obesity rates
• Increase the awareness of substance use disorder
• Make health care more accessible
• Promote healthy aging among local seniors
• Reduce health disparities
• Support improved mental health care

View the 2023-2026 Community Health Improvement Plan. 

Community Benefits Strategic Implementation Plan

The Marlborough Hospital Community Benefits Strategic Implementation Plan features actionable strategies for our team to implement on a daily basis. The plan focuses on helping: 

• At-risk youth
• People who are underinsured and uninsured
• Individuals who are dealing with a mental illness and substance use disorder
• Older adults 

View the 2020-2023 Community Benefits Strategic Implementation Plan.

The UMass Memorial Health Community Benefits Report

The UMass Memorial Health Community Benefits Report highlights the work we do every day to improve the well-being of people in our region. This report includes information about the Community Benefits programs at Marlborough Hospital as well as all the other hospitals in the system.

As a team with a shared vision, we combine our efforts to have the greatest impact on the lives of people in our community. We are passionate about enhancing the wellness of everyone in our region.

View the 2023 UMass Memorial Health Community Benefits Report.

We Welcome Your Feedback

Our team wants to ensure that the services we provide are making a meaningful difference by addressing the needs of the people we serve. We welcome your input on the Community Health Needs Assessment and the Community Benefits Strategic Implementation Plan. If you have comments or questions, please email the Office of Community Benefits at ellen.carlucci@umassmemorial.org.