In 1968, several committed community residents joined forces to assess the health care needs of their neighbors in Allston/Brighton. The group, under the leadership of Allston resident Joseph M. Smith, took to the streets and talked with residents about their health care needs and their difficulties finding appropriate care. In the course of their investigations, they discovered that many Allston/Brighton residents had no access to comprehensive health care services. The community lacked affordable providers and services for its residents; a very basic need in the community was unmet.

The group began planning a center which would provide residents across the entire life spectrum with a superior facility for all of their health care needs.  The group's vision was realized in 1974 when JMSCHC opened its doors to serve the community with compassionate, comprehensive health care. In a similar response to a serious community need, in 2004 the Center opened a site in Waltham to fill the vacuum left by the closing of Waltham Hospital.  In the spring of 2008, expanding its reach into the community still further, the Center opened satellite sites at the Jackson-Mann Complex and Gardner Pilot Academy, both in Allston, to provide services to the schools' student and parent populations, as well as their staffs.  Not long after, the health center opened its stand-alone Vision Center, located across the street from the Allston facility, having outgrown its limited exam space for optometry.

Since the JMSCHC opened in 1974, it has remained true to its mission but has changed to reflect the needs of its users and of residents of Allston/Brighton, Waltham and surrounding communities. The spirit and enthusiasm upon which the 'neighborhood' center was founded is evident in the Center's approach to its delivery of health care services to each individual who walks through its doors. The Center is committed to ensuring that all people have the opportunity to lead a full, healthy and productive life.