Boston-based Mass General Brigham announced its support for a state legislation that would collect a fee on certain real estate transactions and use it for affordable housing costs, citing its own staffing issues due to the housing crisis, The Boston Globe reported Jan. 19.
Facilities in Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard, both in Massachusetts, have especially been affected, Elsie Taveras, MD, Mass General Brigham chief community health equity officer, told the Globe.
"It's terrible that in places like the Islands, we can't have a workforce that can afford to live where they work and care for our patient population," she said.
Dr. Taveras also told the Globe that the housing crisis harms the health of patients in Massachusetts.
"There's tremendous research and evidence that housing is a form of medicine," she said.