South Shore Medical Center Celebrates 60 Years of Comprehensive Patient Care

South Shore Medical Center (SSMC), part of South Shore Health, will celebrate its 60th anniversary on March 24, 2022. The milestone marks six decades of high-quality patient care on the South Shore.       

“For six decades, the dedication of extraordinary caregivers, colleagues and community supporters has enabled the medical center to flourish,” said Allen L. Smith, MD, MS, President & CEO of South Shore Health. “South Shore Medical Center’s enduring legacy of quality care and service to our community has set the bar for years to come.”

It all began in March 1962, when a group of five physicians joined together to open a group practice at 75 Washington Street in Norwell, Mass. Known as the South Shore Medical Clinic, the idea was to create an innovative, integrated approach to patient care. At a time when most doctors worked solo, the new practice would house general practitioners and specialists – working together, sharing resources, equipment and medical staff.

Today, with offices in Norwell, Kingston, Quincy, and Weymouth, South Shore Medical Center has grown to include a staff of more than 100 board certified physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants who offer high-quality, comprehensive healthcare to thousands of patients on the South Shore, across primary and specialty care,

“During the past 60 years South Shore Medical Center has made a tremendous impact on the region,” said Susan Wood, Vice President of Operations for South Shore Health’s Ambulatory Care Division. “The vision of a group practice accomplishing more than one could individually, remains a hallmark of who we are six decades later – a team of dedicated professionals committed to quality patient care and excellence in medicine to all those we serve and one another.”

According to Wood, South Shore Medical Center’s belief in a community-focused, not-for-profit approach expanded in 2004 when the medical center became one of the founding members of Atrius Health and later built a larger, more contemporary facility at 143 Longwater Drive in Norwell.

In 2015, the medical center joined South Shore Health (formally South Shore Health and Educational Corp.), the not-for-profit health system that includes South Shore Hospital in South Weymouth. The move led to one of SSMC’s most important initiatives with the opening of a state-of-the-art, multi-specialty medical practice in downtown Quincy.

Patients can access primary and specialty care including obstetrics, primary care, dermatology, orthopedics, and much more.

“We are deeply committed to offering the right care in the right place at the right time” said David Halle, MD, Medical Director of the Ambulatory Care Division at South Shore Health. “More efficient and convenient care is just as relevant now as it was when we began in 1962, and we remain devoted to serving our patients across the entire continuum of care.”

South Shore Medical Center is committed to the “medical home” model of care – which provides patients an ongoing relationship with a personal physician at all stages of life, including childbirth, pediatric and adult care, acute care and chronic care, preventative services, and end of life care.

Additionally, SSMC prides itself on its community connections. From hosting flu vaccine clinics, as well as free support and educational groups, South Shore Medical Center serves as an important community resource. Most recently, the medical center played a critical role in helping patients throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by establishing a COVID-testing site at its Norwell practice.