“I was so proud to visit Randolph to celebrate the $1 million in direct federal dollars that we delivered to support the construction of a brand new, state of the art community health center at Randolph High School,” said Rep. Pressley. “This community-driven project will help us make strides toward addressing the health care shortages we’ve heard about in Randolph and move us closer to a just and equitable pandemic recovery that leaves no one behind. Our greatest wealth as a nation is the health of our people. And that’s exactly who these investments would support—our people, our families, and our communities. I’m so grateful to our local partners for their collaboration and look forward to seeing this critical project move forward.”
“The Town of Randolph will utilize these critical federal resources to support the establishment of a much-needed school-based health center at Randolph High School to support youth and families across our town,” said Randolph Town Manager Brian Howard. “Randolph’s lack of health services became acutely evident over the course of the COVID pandemic, during which Randolph was a hot spot. This new health center will help build up our local health care infrastructure, increase access to care and ensure we are able to meet the health needs of our community.”
“Randolph Public Schools thank Congresswoman Pressley for her continued advocacy of our district and the community! RPS is excited to receive such generous funding that addresses two urgent needs: literacy proficiency and accessible health care in the district. Literacy is a priority and representation matters,” said Randolph Public Schools Superintendent Thea Stovell. “Research shows that students engage more fully and think deeply when they have access to books and learning tools that reflect their identities and cultures. What an opportunity we have to build upon our existing library. The onsite health center is another huge win for the children of Randolph. This school-based health center affords us the ability to maximize instructional learning time and offers an array of preventative and mental health services that will help bolster educational achievement.”
“The absence of a health center in Randolph exacerbates health inequities and health care costs, and we really saw this during the pandemic,” said Metropolitan Area Planning Council Executive Director Marc Draisen, whose organization facilitates the Randolph Community Wellness Project. “Without a health center in town, there has been a significant gap in financially and culturally accessible health care, which is why we are so thrilled to start turning this around with the new funds.”
“Congresswoman Pressley has made health equity a major focus and we could not be more pleased of her support and advocacy for our patients and community through the funding of a school-based health center at Randolph High School,” said Sandra Cotterell, CEO of Codman Square Health Center. “Codman Square Health Center is excited to be working closely with the Town of Randolph to bring both health care and public health directly to the students and youth of Randolph. This is a shining example of how Community Project Funding, government support, and partnerships can come together to make a difference.”
“We are grateful to Congresswoman Pressley for her vision and support of this important partnership between Dorchester’s Codman Square Health Center and the Town of Randolph,” said Michael Curry, President and CEO of the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. “Establishing a school-based health center at the local high school will provide Randolph’s youth and families with improved access to critically needed primary and preventive care services.”
