From the Executive Director Susan L. Kaufman

I am incredibly proud of the dedicated and compassionate care our clinicians provide our patients every day. In addition, I believe we are poised to demonstrate at the national level the importance and impact of what we do.

We have undertaken two pilot programs – a program to reduce the disparity in health care experienced by different cultural groups, and a “medical home” pilot -- a new concept that sounds a lot like what Urban Medical has always been.

With our House Calls program, we continue to build on our long-term partnerships with housing providers and senior congregate facilities, and to prove through research, the benefits of the Urban Medical Model of community-based care for the elderly to help them age in place. With the addition of new physicians and nurse practitioners, this summer and fall, we plan to expand this program to support more of the elderly in Jamaica Plain and surrounding communities.

On April 4, 2008 we hosted a Symposium on the Future of Primary Care, which brought attention to the Urban Medical Model – a model that we believe offers significant hope for the future of primary care.

In the evening following the Symposium, we celebrated our 30th anniversary with a fund-raising Gala. The evening brought together friends, community members, colleagues, patients and providers to honor our founders. It was a glorious moment for Urban Medical—to be surrounded by 550 members of the Urban Medical community and we were delighted that the evening brought in over $400,000 for our Fund for the Future.

And finally, after many years of planning and more than a few delays, we look forward to expanding our research and clinical services when we move into our new space, right in our neighborhood at the Mount Pleasant Home, in 2009.

We are truly developing innovative and compassionate responses to the challenges of chronic illness and the aging of America. We thank our patients, partners and founders for your support that helps us to continue our mission of service.

SUSAN L. KAUFMAN
Executive Director