About GLFHC

Profile of Lawrence

  • Nearly 74% of the city’s 76,377 residents are Latinos
  • 27.3% live at or below federal poverty levels
  • Lowest per capita income in Massachusetts ($15,913)- 35.2% of city residents never completed high school
  • English fluency is reported by only 49% of the community
  • 90% of Lawrence school children are minorities
  • 74.9% of students speak a language other thanEnglish as their first language
  • 24.2% of students have limited English proficiency
  • Elevated rates of asthma, diabetes, tuberculosis, teenage pregnancy, lead paint poisoning, and substance abuse

Profile of GLFHC

  • Established in 1980
  • More than 47,000 enrolled patients
  • 578 employees and 92 physicians
  • 5 primary care sites and 2 School-Based Health Centers (SBHC)
  • 14 Health Care for the Homeless sites
  • 220,000 annual medical visits,11,500 hospital visits
  • Nearly 800 babies delivered each year
  • Nationally recognized Family Medicine Residency Program
  • One of only 6 Alternative Medicine Fellowships in the country
  • 90 exam rooms, totaling 80,000 square feet located at five clinic sites throughout Lawrence

Achieving Healthy Outcomes

  • Nearly 41% of Latino patients with diabetes have blood sugar controlled compared to only 15% five years ago
  • Dramatic decline in infant mortality rate from high of 16.5 deaths/1,000 births in 1986 to 5.6 in 2007
  • Decrease in low birth weight among Lawrence newborns
  • 43 percent decline in teen pregnancies and 30 percent fewer dismissals at SBHCs
  • No HIV+ babies born to Lawrence women in more than 14 years
  • AIDS case rate is dropping faster than statewide
  • STD rates dropped faster in Lawrence than statewide

Stimulating the Economy

  • GLFHC stimulates $66 million economic output annually
  • Generated more than $4 million in capital investment in Lawrence in a 3-year period
  • Urgent care capacity and programs save millions annually
  • Studies show every $1.00 invested in health centers saves Medicare and Medicaid $3.00.