Frederica Williams

Frederica Williams was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Her family belong to the Creole ethnic group in Sierra Leone.

Williams attended the London School of Accountancy, passed the examinations of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, United Kingdom, and was elected fellow of the institute. She obtained a graduate certificate in administration and management from Harvard Extension School. And a Master in Business Administration with a concentration in finance from Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachusetts. She also passed the exams of the Institute of Administrative Management (UK) with distinction and has participated in several executive education programs at the Harvard Business School.^[2]

She moved from London to Boston in 1984 and worked at various hospitals until joining Whittier Street Health Center in February 2002 as its president and chief executive officer. Since Williams began at Whittier, the number of people served increased from 5,000 to 25,000 in 2012,^[3] and was close to 30,000 in 2018.

Under Williams' direction, Whittier has embarked upon a community outreach campaign, which has included hosting New England's largest men's health summit, making health care practitioners available at local houses of worship. Under her leadership, the health center built its first permanent 78,900-square foot, Silver LEED-certified health facility in 2012, with the capacity to provide 220,000 visits annually. In 2015, it inaugurated its Health and Wellness Institute to help address chronic diseases in inner-city Boston and to provide affordable access to an exercise facility and community garden.^[4]

In June 2017, the orgainization opened a second clinic in North Dorchester. This clinic is located in a senior housing building in a high need neighborhood.^[5]

In 2018, Williams was honored by the WSHC Board of Directors who named the building "Frederica M. Williams Building".^[6] Other accomplishments include opening a satellite clinic on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, building a 6,600-square-foot fitness center at the Tremont location, the creation of a community garden, launching a mobile health van outreach initiative, a partnership with the Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, and a men's health clinic.^[6] On December 6, 2019, the Patriot Vanguard of Sierra Leone recognized Williams for her life mission, business and social justice leadership.^[7]

On November 24, 2020, Harvard Extension School named Williams the recipient of its 2020 Dean Michael Shinagel Award for Service to Others, presented by the Harvard Extension Alumni Association. Barbara O'Reilly, director of the Alumni Awards, said: "Frederica Williams embodies exceptional leadership advancing social change in addressing health and economic disparities and social justice in the Greater Boston community."^{[citation needed]}

On February 20, 2021, Williams launched scholarship funds to educate young children in Freetown, Sierra Leone.^[8]

In December 2020, Williams was recognized for her efforts in addressing social justice and health equity, especially in times of crises during the COVID-19 pandemic. Under her leadership, Whittier Street Health Center expanded its range of services to include Mobile Health Services to remove barriers to care such as transportation, location, access and hours of work for essential workers. Whittier manages four Mobile Health Units that provides services including Boston Public School-Based clinics, medication delivery, dental hygiene services, health screenings, primary care, behavioral health screenings, vision screenings, linkage and HIV Counseling and Testing.^[9]

On June 21, 2021, she led the 21st Annual Men's Health Summit to highlight the high mortality rates of men, especially men of color. The theme "Men Take Action on Holistic Health and COVID-19: Physical, Mental & Economic Wellbeing," was chosen not only to highlight the far reaching effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but also to educate people about the importance holistic health plays in everyday life.^[10]

In April 2020, former Mayor Marty Walsh appointed a group of BIPOC leaders to join the COVID-19 Health Inequities Task Force. Williams was one of the leaders tasked with developing strategies to address racism as a public health issue and recommendations to promote health equity and social justice. In July 2021, the Boston Health Inequities Task Force released the Boston Health Equity Now Plan. The Health Equity Now Plan was an initial step towards the long-term recovery from COVID-19.^[11] The plan provides 18 key recommendations that focus on acknowledging racism, creating educational and financial opportunities, and proactive community engagement..

The Task Force urged leaders from all corners of Boston to take part in rebuilding a Boston free of racial and health inequities. These recommendations provide actionable steps to addressing racism and health inequities.^[12]

In March 2021, Williams headed the public health sub-committee of the project guiding Kim Janey's then-expected transition into the position of acting mayor of Boston.^[13]

June 26, 2021,^[14] Williams launched a fleet of Mobile Health Van programs to serve residents and patients at schools, public housing developments, faith institutions, employment, homeless shelters, Street outreach and congregate settings. The services include primary care, HIV and Infectious Diseases testing and screenings, dental, behavioral health, and linkage to care and support services. These culturally sensitive services remove barriers to care, address the social determinants of health, and improve health outcomes and access. All patients are served regardless of their health insurance status.^[15]

On December 31, 2021, Williams and Whittier was highlighted by Shirley Leung of the Boston Globe for the center's services to the homeless at Mass and Cass Blvd, a former tent city occupied by vulnerable residents including those suffering from mental illnesses, substance use disorders, and other chronic conditions. The Whittier outreach team provides services at several hotspots in Boston including Mass and Cass.^[16]

On December 31, 2021, the First Night Vaccination Clinic was held.^[17] Williams partnered with the city's Health department to host a First Night COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic to address vaccine hesitancy. This clinic and other pop-up clinics held in various locations significantly increased vaccine equity.^[18]

On May 24, 2022, Williams was named the recipient of the 2022 Dean Michael Shinagel Award for Service to Others from the Harvard Extension Alumni Association.^[19]

On October 13, 2022, Williams and her team launched a Day Engagement Center to serve the Homeless and Vulnerable citizens of Boston. Whittier's Engagement Center will adopt a therapeutic milieu approach to encourage healthier ways of thinking and promote healthy lifestyles, while providing access to clinical and medical services.^[20]

In March 2023,^[21] Williams launched Whittier's Mobile Health Services Behavioral Health Screening Program to help identify substance use and mental health disorders early to help individuals and families access resources, including appropriate, evidence-based care. The mobile health screening help to determine the probability of the presence of a problem and identify areas of concern.

Under Williams’s leadership, Whittier Street Health Center in Boston is Expanded Its Health on Wheels Program in 2025 to include a new Mobile and Vision Care Clinic to address health disparities in low-income and minority communities.^[22]

WBUR reported that according to a study by the Boston Public Health Commission released on May 11, 2023, in the two miles between Roxbury and Back Bay, there is a 23-year life expectancy gap between residents. This is a significant improvement from the BPHC report in 2007, where the gap was years. However, the areas with the estimated highest life expectancy in 2007 stayed relatively stagnant in 2021.^[23]

Williams was named the recipient of the 2023 Joan Wallace Leadership Award.^[24]

For National Black Business Month (August 2023), the Boston Globe highlighted the Black leaders in Boston, including Williams.^[25]

Under Williams' leadership, Whittier Street Health Center was awarded three federal 2023 Community Health Quality Recognition awards by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: the Addressing Social Risk Factors award, the COVID-19 Public Health Champion award, and the Advancing Health in Technology for Quality award.^[26]

Frederica Williams

Biography

Awards and citations

Memberships

References

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