July 22, 2026 |Education, Health & Wellness, Lynn Community Health Center, News

New Waves of Lynn High School Students to Access Groundbreaking Lynn Community Health Center Fellowship Program Under Vastly Expanded Effort

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Atrius Health Equity Foundation Funds $3.7 million, Four-Year Continuation of  Successful Inaugural Year Effort

From the Lynn Community Health Center: Hundreds of Lynn-area students will benefit from a vast expansion of the first-ever community health student fellowship program thanks to $3.7 million in funding announced today by the Atrius Health Equity Foundation and Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC).

The effort will build on the successful inaugural year of the program in 2025-2026, which saw nearly 70 Lynn high school students be matched with a mentor, gain critical workforce training and leadership skills alongside health education and exposure to health careers. The effort is designed to help the students pursue careers in health fields and promote their own health and the health of the Greater Lynn community for generations to come. The fellowship program includes a collaboration between the health center and local schools, including Lynn Public Schools, St. Mary’s and KIPP Academy.

“This program was created to help young people see the possibilities for their future and recognize the impact they can have on the health and well-being of others. We are grateful to our partners, mentors, and supporters who helped make this inaugural fellowship year possible, and we look forward to seeing all that can be accomplished in the years ahead.”

Brenda Rodriguez, Chief Executive Officer of the Lynn Community Health Center

“The City is excited to have learned that LCHC has secured additional funding from the Atrius Health Equity Foundation for their Community Health Center Student Fellowship Program,” said Lynn Mayor Jared C. Nicholson. “We strongly believe in giving Lynn’s young residents an opportunity to learn about career paths in healthcare and there is no better partner to do that than the Lynn Community Health Center.”

Funding for this effort came through the Atrius Health Equity Foundation, continuing its significant investments to improve health outcomes throughout Eastern Massachusetts.  

“The efforts led by LCHC have seen extraordinary progress by empowering Lynn youth to explore dynamic healthcare roles, become community health leaders and address the biggest health challenges impacting their lives and community,” said Dr. Ann Hwang, President of the Atrius Health Equity Foundation. “Our board is honored to support generational change in the city of Lynn.”

“The student fellowship program provides opportunities to future leaders that are often overlooked,” said Ruth Shaw, Director of Data & Analytics at Lynn Community Health Center and a mentor in the program. “These students are critical to the continued progress of Lynn. To provide mentorship that is accessible and local, shows not only that we are investing in them but we care about their community.”

The new four-year grant to LCHC includes $3,706,796 in total to support implementation of the Community Health Student Fellowship Program. This comes two years after an initial $500,000 planning grant to LCHC followed by a one-year $793,204 implementation grant to launch the program.  

Highlights from the Pilot Year:

• LCHC launched and sustained its inaugural cohort of almost 70 student fellows through a full year of intensive programming, culminating in a graduation event on June 8.  
• LCHC created a youth-centered Steering Committee that provided program leadership and oversight.  
• LCHC developed and operationalized 77 curriculum modules aligned with Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) Work-Based Learning standards.
• Through 102 “Days in the Life” sessions, fellows learned about a broad range of healthcare professions, such as dentistry, nursing and health care administration.
• Fifty LCHC health center staff served as mentors, providing individualized support to the student fellows.  
• Students completed five college visits and ran eight Mobile Food Market events.
• Students learned to measure blood pressure and identified 69 cases requiring nurse intervention and 19 high-need follow-ups.

Moving forward, the program will build on the success of the structure from the pilot year. It aims to build a long-term community healthcare workforce pipeline through its DESE-approved curriculum and immersing youth in health careers through “Days in the Life” of professionals across the health center.  

Students will be supported through targeted mentorship with health professionals, and they will learn about hypertension and be trained to conduct blood pressure screenings in their family and community. Youth will continue to receive holistic support and a participation stipend throughout the program.  

About Lynn Community Health Center

Lynn Community Health Center is a non-profit, multicultural community health center serving more than one in three Lynn residents. Since 1971, LCHC has provided comprehensive, high-quality healthcare regardless of a patient’s ability to pay, while working to advance health equity and improve community well-being throughout the region.

About Atrius Health Equity Foundation:

The Atrius Health Equity Foundation was established in 2022 and aims to close the gap in life expectancy in Eastern Massachusetts. Learn more about the Foundation at www.atriusfoundation.org.