Community Outreach
Community and Workforce Development Programs
Community/City of Boston Support
Fenway and Mission Hill neighborhoodsFinancial support is provided annually to community health centers and community development corporations in Boston's Fenway and Mission Hill neighborhoods. Dana-Farber also participates in the Longwood Medical Area Forum to discuss ongoing community needs and concerns.
PILOTDana-Farber made payments in lieu of taxes and housing linkage payments to the City of Boston.
HousingDana-Farber provides support to housing programs for cancer patients and their families. Programs include:
- Ronald McDonald House — a home away from home for pediatric oncology patients at Dana-Farber and Children's Hospital Boston
- Shannon McCormack House — a residence for out-of-town cancer patients undergoing cancer treatment in the Longwood area and their families
- Hospitality Program — provides lodging for cancer patients and their families through its network of more than 180 volunteer hosts in the Greater Boston area.
Dana-Farber participates in a variety of other community activities. Examples include:
- Annual food drive sponsored by MASCO. Contributions to the food drive are donated to the food bank operated by Action for Boston Community Development in Mission Hill.
- Caps for Kids Program Along with Brigham and Women's, Dana-Farber participates in the annual program, which provides knitted hats for Tobin Elementary School, BWH newborn intensive care, and various community centers.
Career, employment and training initiatives
Dana-Farber maintains educational partnerships with Boston-area high schools and colleges to provide underrepresented students of color internship opportunities to explore and pursue careers in health and science. Dana-Farber works closely with the following schools to place students who have a specific interest in health and science:
Educational partnerships- Boston Latin School Science Mentorship Program
- Fenway High School
- Madison Park Technical Vocational High School Allied Health and Human Services Academy
During the 2004-05 academic year and summer 2005, more than 75 Boston Public Schools students from diverse backgrounds worked at Dana-Farber in clinical, research and administrative departments. A number of students participated through the Boston Mayor's Summer Jobs Program. Students had opportunities to participate in PowerPoint classes, writing skills workshops, customer service education, engage in site visits at biotech companies, and attend educational seminars. In addition to the schools noted above, students hailed from the following Boston Public Schools:
- Boston Arts Academy
- Boston Latin Academy
- Boston Leadership Academy
- Brighton High School
- Health Careers Academy
- John D. O'Bryant School of Math and Science
- Muriel Snowden International School
- West Roxbury High School
Dana-Farber actively participates in school-to-work programs with the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC). PIC programs include:
- Classroom at the Workplace Dana-Farber provides paid internships for high school students who had not passed one or both sections of the statewide test MCAS. Students work up to 40 hours per week with two hours of classroom instruction per day.
- Groundhog Job Shadow Day Students shadow Dana-Farber employees learning about their job responsibilities, as well as the skills and training needed for their position. One example a young man via Bridge Over Troubled Waters attended Shadow Day, acquired an unpaid internship in Nuclear Medicine, enrolled in a Dana-Farber Medical Terminology course, and now has a full-time, paid position at Dana-Farber.
Dana-Farber participated in the Southern New England Junior Science and Humanities Symposium (JSHS)/Biomedical Science Career Program (BSCP), both of which are programs operated by Harvard Medical School. They are designed to promote increased recruitment, retention, and advancement of underrepresented minority and female physicians and scientists. DFCI hosted a site visit where 60 JSHS students toured research labs and learned more about careers in the health and sciences. DFCI supported the BSCP and mentored minority students ranging from high school to graduate school.
In addition to working with youth and young adults, Dana-Farber offers career development opportunities for its staff through the following programs:
Black AchieversAs a 2005 sponsor of the Black Achievers program, Dana-Farber joins the Black Achievers in recognizing African-Americans in Boston for their accomplishments and demonstrated excellence in their profession. Through the partnership, Dana-Farber and two staff members, who have been among those recognized as this year's Achievers, have provided youth with opportunities to explore their interests, develop skills and broaden their access to information and resources.
Boston Health Care and Research Training InstituteIn collaboration with community-based organizations, educational institutions and other health care and research institutions, Dana-Farber provides comprehensive training and educational programs for entry and mid-level employees. Courses allow employees to build upon existing skills, while helping them to advance along career pathways. Dana-Farber and the training institute currently are working on a proposed course of study either in nursing or clinical assisting. Dana-Farber will provide the space, release time, tuition for employees and clinical instructors. In addition, Dana-Farber is working with the Training Institute to develop specialized pre-employment training in science and in billing/financial work. In 2005, 35 employees have taken classes in ESL Literacy, GED, Intro to Computers Effective Communications, Administrative skills and business writing.
Bunker Hill Community CollegeIn 2003, Dana-Farber began a joint program with Bunker Hill Community College. At the end of seven courses (two years), staff will be eligible for a Medical Coding Certificate. In 2005, six employees graduated from the program.
English as a Second Language (ESL)In collaboration with nearby health care institutions, Dana-Farber offers ESL classes to its staff. In 2005, nearly 100 employees had attended the program representing 18 countries/languages.
The PartnershipDana-Farber is a corporate sponsor of The Partnership. The Partnership works in collaboration with the Boston Chamber of Commerce and its members to increase the number of people of color in leadership roles in the Boston community. In 2005, Dana-Farber participated in two of the Partnership's Leadership Development Programs, the Senior Executive Program and the Boston Fellows Program. These programs support Dana-Farber strategies to effectively attract, retain, and develop leadership among professional staff members of color.
University of Massachusetts at BostonIn 2004, Dana-Farber entered into a new affiliation with the University of Massachusetts at Boston (UMass). Eight UMass Boston nursing students from diverse backgrounds completed their community health rotation at Dana-Farber during the fall of 2005. Dana-Farber plans to hire several of the students into a soon-to-start new graduates nursing program.
Dana-Farber has a commitment to providing employment opportunities to the Boston neighborhoods and has continued to participate in such outreach with Roxbury Community College, Grace Baptist Church, The Latino Job Fair through El Mundo, Community Care day at the Hispanic Office of Planning and Evaluation and the annual Dana-Farber Open House and Job Fair.
