Local pediatrician opens nonprofit office to provide affordable health care to families

BOSTON — We all know how expensive medical bills can be. A pediatric office in Boston is finding innovative ways to help local families afford care.

After 15 years as a pediatrician in the area, Dr. Robyn Riseberg says she knew wanted to do something about the bureaucracy of medicine.

“I realized that in Massachusetts and in Boston, small private practices work because someone answers the phone, someone you know when you need to be seen, you can get in to be seen,” said Dr. Robyn Riseberg, founder of Boston Community Pediatrics. “But most private practices cater towards patients with private insurance. And I am committed to working with a population of patients who have Medicaid or MassHealth.

She says getting the financial support was the missing puzzle piece — so she came up with the idea of making her office a nonprofit.

“And so in order to make that model work, we of course get insurance reimbursements for the visits that we provide,” said Dr. Riseberg. “And then for all of the other work that we’re doing, we use philanthropy to make up the difference.”

In the fall of 2020, Boston Community Pediatrics opened up an office in the South End with 12 staff members and 150 patients, and now has grown to over 20 staff members and 1,500 patients.

“I used to be, more scared,” said Kimberly Nunez-Medina, a patient at Boston Community Pediatrics. “But now. I come here. I feel more confident.”

Kimberly and her sister Keisha have been going to Boston Community Pediatrics for two years—and take advantage of the free after-school programs Dr. Riseberg’s office provides—including dental and mental health services.

“I used to not be able to talk any of my feelings out,” said Keisha Nunez-Medina. “When I started going with her, she really helped me.”

Boston Community Pediatrics says in addition to medical care, the office offers patients food, hygiene products, and clothing.

“It’s pretty important because when my mom like, she needs help with stuff here, they always offer the help,” said Keisha.

“Our motto really centers the patient and all that we do,” said Dr. Riseberg. “So we start with the patient. We don’t start with the finances. We don’t start with the administrators. We just start with the patient. And everything grows from there.”

Dr. Riseberg says 80% of her patients are on MassHealth. With the help of donors and grants, she says her office makes sure patients get high-quality care, without the high, out-of-pocket costs.

“I think what we’re doing here is we’re showing that it is possible to change the health care system,” said Dr. Riseberg. “It is possible to do things differently. You just have to have, you know, a little bit of grit and determination to make it work.”

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