Celebrating 55 Years of Caring for Greater Lowell

In 2025, Lowell Community Health Center proudly celebrates 55 years of serving our community. Over the years, we have honored the people we care for, the dedicated team members who provide that care, and the community that supports us. Our history is filled with stories that highlight these connections, bringing us together and strengthening our shared mission.

Our History

It all began with a bold idea: everyone deserves access to quality health care.

Lowell Community Health Center was founded on the belief that everyone in Greater Lowell should have access to affordable, high-quality care.

In 1965, the national community health center movement began as part of President Johnson’s War on Poverty. The first two health centers were established in Boston’s Columbia Point neighborhood and rural Mississippi.

Planting the Seed in Lowell

In 1970, the movement reached Lowell. Lowell General Hospital opened a small, community-based clinic in an apartment at the Shaughnessy Terrace public housing complex. The clinic focused on prenatal and pediatric care, making it easier for residents to access the services they needed.

Photo caption: Lowell CHC employees during the early years (top) and an artist rendering of the Shaughnessy Terrace public housing complex, site of our first clinic in 1970 (bottom).