DotHouse Health has won a grant valued at close to $600,000 from the Health Resources and Service Administration, an agency of US Department of Health and Human Services, that will help the Dorchester facility expand its mental health and substance use services by interacting with local partners. 

 “The Behavioral Health Service Expansion grant is an opportunity for DotHouse to grow and sustain critical behavioral health and addiction treatment services,” said Dr. Monica Vohra, DotHouse Health’s chief medical officer.

“The communities we serve have been disproportionately impacted by opioid overdoses, drug-related deaths, and rising mental health needs,” she noted. “The funds from this grant will have a significant impact on access and our ability to meet patient needs.”
 
Several other Massachusetts health centers were also awarded funding, including Dorchester’s Harvard Street Neighborhood Health Center, which received a similar near $600,000 award.

A new program at DotHouse Health, its Newcomers Clinic, which was established last year and managed by Dr. Rohini Rau-Murthy, a family medicine physician, is helping to connect recent arrivals to Boston.

“DotHouse has been having this specific focus on people who are new to the country, said Rau-Murthy. “The health center as a whole is really to provide high-quality care to people who are the most vulnerable. I think people who are new to the country really fit that.”

The clinic is focusing mainly on people who are new to the United States in the last year and do not yet have a primary care doctor. At DotHouse, they can find on-site medical care and get connected to community resources. 

Funded in part through the Boston Public Health Commission, the facility helps new residents get oriented in the country. 

“They’re coming here because they had to,” Rau-Murthy told The Reporter. “They had to leave where they were and through incredible strength and resilience were able to make that journey to Boston. Here you’re faced with a whole new set of challenges. You have different food, clothing, healthcare, school systems, and languages. We’re hoping to demystify a little bit of that.”

At the clinic, Rau-Murthy and certified community health worker Maria Ortiz help patients of all ages, languages, ethnicities, genders, and immigration statuses, regardless of insurance coverage, get the services they need.

While Rau-Murthy handles the medical side of things, Ortiz does just about everything else. “I think everyone has a starting point in their life and newcomers have a starting point here. They come here for a reason; they want a better life for themselves, for their children, even for the people back home,” she said.

Just last month, Ortiz and Rau-Murthy assisted a family of four that has re-settled from Haiti. While Rau-Murthy made sure the family was up to date medically, Ortiz got the kids into school and helped the parents find shelter and work. 

 “I think we can be the role model for the rest of the country so they can support these people who come here,” Ortiz told The
Reporter. “They need that support because they have a new beginning here, a foundation for them to move forward in their life.”

Those interested in learning more about Newcomers Clinic can reach out to Ortiz at 617-740-2556 or visit DotHouse Health at 1353 Dorchester Ave.