DotHouse Health, a community health and recreation center in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood, unveiled its new name at a ceremony Tuesday.
The center, which provides such programs as a food pantry, financial clinic, and after-school activities, was known for decades as the Dorchester House Multi-Service Center.
“But that name was very long and it didn’t really capture what we do,” said president and chief executive Walter Ramos.
The new name and a new slogan — “We keep you well” — better express the center’s health and wellness mission, he said.
The health clinic was closed for an hour Tuesday to allow employees to attend the ceremony, where former US representative Joseph Kennedy II spoke. As a teenager, Kennedy volunteered at the center, helping teach children English as a second language and reading books, Ramos said.
“He has always maintained that connection to Dorchester,” Ramos said.
The center was built as a settlement house in 1887 at a different location. It moved to its present spot, at 1353 Dorchester Ave., in 1942.
“From its settlement house roots to today, it is a place where the community can gather and receive the services they need to live and thrive,” Ramos said.