Community Outreach

Serving the Community

Massachusetts Eye and Ear was founded in 1824 as a one-room clinic to treat those in the Boston community who needed eye care. Mass Eye and Ear’s services have expanded since then, but our commitment to serving the community continues as part of the hospital’s community benefits program.

Community Benefits Mission Statement

As part the community benefits planning process, the Community Benefits Committee conducted an every-three-year needs assessment. A committee designated by Mass Eye and Ear's Board of Directors approved the assessment, implementation strategy and plan, and report. In addition, they re-affirmed the hospital's Community Benefits Mission Statement, which is:

Be it resolved:

That Massachusetts Eye and Ear hereby reaffirms its commitment to serve the identified health care needs of its constituent communities/patient populations (“the designated community”).
That designated community is further defined for this purpose as residents of the Greater Boston area with, or at risk of, disorders of vision, hearing, voice or speech, with a special emphasis on underserved populations.
That such a commitment is recognized as an integral part of the mission of Mass Eye and Ear.
That efforts to fulfill this commitment will build upon traditional partnerships between Mass Eye and Ear and the designated community, recognizing the value of such collaboration.
That Mass Eye and Ear will develop, implement, and update as necessary a formal plan for fulfilling this commitment, which plan will include allocation of appropriate resources to address identified health care needs of the designated community.

Community Health Plan

Our Community Health Needs Assessment Report for 2022 includes a description of our needs assessment process and findings, our Community Health Advisory Committee, and next steps in the planning process. View our Community Health Improvement Plan.

Contact Information

Please email communications@meei.harvard.edu for more information on our programming.