Under one roof

Poverty, drug abuse, lack of prenatal and primary care, and lack of skills to find a job or run a household dog the heels of those who live in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood. These problems prompted the Caritas Christi Health System, sponsored by the Archdiocese of Boston, to shed its acute care mentality and begin building a service mix that responds to the needs of the neighborhood beyond healthcare, including maintaining a physical presence in the neighborhood itself. To accomplish its vision, the health system folded the services of St. Margaret's Hospital for Women into St. Elizabeth's Medical Center of Boston and turned the St. Margaret's building into a campus for interdependent services, some of which are funded by the health system and some of which are funded by government or other sources. The result is St. Mary's Women and Infants Center, which not only gives each of those agencies a presence in the neighborhood they serve, but has the more important benefit of coordinating services for people with multiple needs.