About

About the Greater Boroughs Partnership for Health (GBPH)
The Greater Boroughs Partnership for Health (GBPH) provides shared public health services for the communities of Westborough, Northborough, Boylston and Southborough. GBPH is supported through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health - Public Health Excellence grant, which provides local health departments with the funding for shared staff and resources.

In July of 2021, the Towns of Boylston, Northborough, Southborough, and Westborough, entered into an Inter-Municipal Agreement (IMA) for Local Public Health Services. The Towns obtained authorization for this joint undertaking pursuant to G.L. c.40, §4A by a vote of their authorizing authority, the Board of Selectmen or Select Board, and the approval by their respective Boards of Health. The IMA created a governance structure that includes an Advisory Board that meets quarterly each year following Massachusetts Open Meeting Law. Meeting agendas and minutes can be found on the Greater Boroughs Partnership for Health Advisory Board webpage. Recordings of the meeting may be found on the Greater Boroughs Partnership for Health Playlist on Northborough Cable YouTube Channel.

Blueprint for Public Health Excellence:
The goal of the Public Health Excellence grant is to strengthen the local public health system and advance the recommendations of the Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health in its final report of June 2019 - Blueprint for Public Health Excellence: Recommendations for Improved Effectiveness and Efficiency of Local Public Health Protections.

Benefits of Shared Service Agreements:
By pooling resources, functions, and expertise, a consortium of cities and towns can improve compliance with meeting the Performance Standards and expand the public health services they offer residents. Shared service arragnements offer increased capacity, increase access to resoures, and foster collbaration and learning between municipalities.