Many of the patients we care for at Tufts Medical Center are among the sickest patients in our area. The acuity of our patient population is greater than that of most Boston hospitals, meaning that a higher percentage of our patients suffer from critical illness or traumatic injury. As a major tertiary and quaternary referral center offering the highest levels of acute care, many hospitals transfer to us their most seriously ill and injured patients for the high-complexity care for which we are widely known and respected.

We perform the most heart transplants among all hospitals in New England, are home to Level I trauma center, deliver the most advanced care in cancer, including bone marrow transplants and gene therapies, and provide multidisciplinary critical care to patients with the most serious diseases across all medical and surgical specialties. And based on the experiences of our patients and the countless ways in which they inspire us as their caregivers, we are devoted to research on the conditions they face that continue to elude cure or effective treatment.

To optimally serve the patients and families who depend on us for highly-complex care, we require specialized, high-cost resources. Your charitable gifts play a vital role in helping us to obtain these resources so we can deliver to the people who need us most the kind of extraordinary health care that saves and improves lives and provides hope for a healthy future.

A group of 630 members of the Greater Lowell community broke out their best attire to support public health at the 13th annual Circle Health Ball for Community Health Initiatives Saturday, March 10, at the InterContinental Hotel in Boston.

The event featured dinner, a huge silent auction and dancing to the music of Nightshift. By the end of the night, a record total of $423,527 was raised to support grants for projects that address needs identified as public health priorities in the Greater Lowell and Merrimack Valley.

Grant requests were solicited for projects targeting mental health, asthma, substance use and prevention, physical activity, social determinants of health and access to healthy food.

This year’s winners are:

• UTEC - UTEC's "Core Competency Initiative” will formalize and measure the skills that young adults build to navigate life successfully by focusing on five key areas: Connection, Reflection, Health, Ambition and Power.
• Community Teamwork Inc. - Funding will expand the visibility and impact of CTI’s Farmers’ Market, increase the diversity of vendors to represent Lowell’s immigrant communities and provide transportation to populations that have traditionally had difficulty reaching the market.
• Megan’s House The grant will be used to support professional development for substance use disorder professionals to advance their knowledge of co-occurring mental health disorders. It will also assist bilingual staff earning licensed alcohol and drug certification better serve Latina residents.

In addition to these grants, a Fund-a-Need call for donations raised an additional $52,000 for Mill City Grows, which has committed to provide Lowell with in-school garden and nutrition education, donate 3,000 pounds of food to emergency food programs, conduct outreach events targeting low-income residents, distribute coupons for free or discounted vegetables at schools and events, and host Farm to Table cooking classes for students.

"Each year, the Circle Health Ball for Community Health Initiatives brings out the best in the Greater Lowell community, evidenced once again by this year’s overwhelming support," says Jody White, CEO of Circle Health and Lowell General Hospital. "These grants and Fund-a-Need will provide vital support four incredible organizations who are working every day to address some of the most pressing health concerns in our region. At Circle Health, we remain committed to forging strategic partnerships to improve the overall health of all the communities we serve."

The Ball was once again hosted by event co-chairpersons Dr. Jeremy Moses and Dr. Lija Joseph. The Diamond Level sponsor was Enterprise Bank, and Sapphire Level sponsors were Commonwealth Radiology Associates, Merrimack Valley Emergency Associates and Remedium Pharmacy.

The Circle Health Ball was established in 2006 by Lowell General Hospital, its dedicated medical staff and concerned members of the community to generate awareness and funds to help address significant health issues facing our community.