Hyde Park community center could get health clinic

Acting Mayor Kim Janey said today the city will spend $2 million renovating space in the Muni on River Street in Hyde Park's Logan Square to serve as a new health center for a neighborhood that has a lower life expectancy than the city average.

Janey added the city is seeking proposals from providers for the space, which could range from a community health center staffed by doctors, nurses and technicians to less intensive "health programming."

According to the city:

Hyde Park has a life expectancy below the rest of Boston, with a higher number of hospitalizations due to diabetes and injury than other neighborhoods. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hyde Park residents were disproportionately impacted by the virus and at some points led the city in the percentage of positive cases. Today, almost 70% of Hyde Park residents have received their first shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, highlighting the importance of community-based health services in the neighborhood.

The city is first asking for potential users of the health space to identify what they could do with the space, with an Oct. 16. After that, the city will issue a formal request for more detailed proposals.