Last updated: 4/4/23

About the Health Commission

The Boston Public Health Commission is an independent public agency providing a wide range of health services and programs.

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The Boston Public Health Commission is the country’s oldest health department. Governing (BPHC) is a seven-member board of health, appointed by the Mayor of Boston.

Public service and access to quality health care are the cornerstones of our mission - to protect, preserve, and promote the health and well-being of all Boston residents. With a focus on individuals who are most vulnerable. We offer more than 40 services for residents of Boston. An organizational chart can be found online.

Learn more about our history

Questions about our work? Want to learn more?
1010 Massachusetts Ave.

6th Floor

BOSTON, MA 02118
617-534-5395
info@bphc.org
Contact Us
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Health Access

Getting Health Care

Find the answers to your Getting Health Care questions here.

Mayor's Health Line

The Mayor’s Health Line is a free, confidential, multilingual information and referral service.

Intergovernmental Relations

This office promotes a strong, effective advocacy voice and presence for public health policy at all levels of government.

BPHC Mission

Where we live, work, and play shapes our health and well-being. It’s common to think about individual behavior, genes, and health care access as most important for good health. In actuality, factors such as housing, education, environmental exposure, public safety, employment, and income are strong predictors of health and well-being. It is important to understand how experiences within the individual and community context differ by race. In the United States, racism plays a significant role in creating and perpetuating health inequities.

Social inequities have origins in discriminatory laws, policies, and practices. Historically these have denied people of color the right to earn income, own property, and accumulate wealth. Health resources are unevenly distributed across the city of Boston. The distribution follows patterns of racial segregation and poverty concentration. As a result, white Boston residents enjoy better health on average than residents of color. These differences in health outcomes between residents of color and white residents are systemic, avoidable, unfair, and unjust.

Other forms of oppression also contribute to different health outcomes. We must understand and address the many factors shaping our individual and collective health. We must provide all residents with fair access to the conditions that promote the best possible health.

Mission Statement

The mission of the BPHC is to protect, preserve, and promote the health and well-being of all Boston residents, particularly the most vulnerable.

We achieve our mission by providing and supporting:

accessible high quality community-based health and social services
community engagement and advocacy
development of health promoting policies and regulations
disease and injury prevention
emergency services
health promotion
and health education services

Vision Statement

The Boston Public Health Commission envisions a thriving Boston where all residents live healthy, fulfilling lives free of racism, poverty, violence, and other systems of oppression. All residents will have equitable opportunities and resources, leading to optimal health and well-being.

BPHC Commits to the following principles:

Promote the fair treatment of all people
Ensure internal policies, procedures, and practices are fair and equitable
Strive to improve public policies, systems, and environments that influence social conditions
Foster mutual respect, transparency, and accountability with colleagues, residents, coalitions, and other partners
Strengthen community capacity and uplift community voices
Use the best available scientific evidence to inform the Commission’s work
Provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to people from all backgrounds
Ensure effective communication and coordination with other city agencies, community-based organizations, residents, and other partners

We Asked, You Said, We Did, and What Changed

At BPHC, community input is important to us. We want you to know how your input informs our decision-making.

We Asked, You Said, We Did, and What Changed is an important part of our commitment to equitable community engagement. Learn more about equitable community engagement at BPHC.

Learn more about We Asked,

You Said, We Did, and What Changed

Accreditation and awards

BPHC's 2019-2021 Strategic Plan

BPHC's 2019-2021 Strategic Plan outlines an action-oriented map of how BPHC will advance its mission through March 31, 2022.

Public health accreditation and awards

In November of 2017, BPHC achieved national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB). PHAB works to improve and protect the health of the public. It focuses on improving the performance of governmental public health agencies.

Accreditation means that the BPHC continuously improves to meet community needs. The national accreditation program, supported by the CDC and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, sets standards for program and service improvements for government health departments.

BPHC was a 2019 National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) Model Practice Award recipient. It won for its innovative quality improvement program.