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About CHA

Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) is a vibrant, innovative health system dedicated to providing equity and excellence for everyone, every time. With over 140,000 patients in Boston’s metro-north region, CHA is proud to offer the health care people need most in their lives.

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Key clinical services include primary care, behavioral health, emergency care, surgery and specialty care, hospital care, maternity and state-of-the-art testing services. These are offered at convenient neighborhood locations. CHA patients also have seamless access to advanced care for rare or complex conditions at its clinical partners - Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Mass. General Hospital for Children.

CHA's work extends far beyond patient care. It has a robust Department of Community Health Improvement and operates the nationally accredited Cambridge Public Health Department. It collaborates closely with local governments and non-profits to improve health and reduce barriers to care. As a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine, CHA trains the health care providers of tomorrow.

  • Our History

    CHA formed in 1996 when two Massachusetts hospitals - Cambridge Hospital and Somerville Hospital - joined together to better meet the needs of patients and fulfill a shared community health mission. In 2001, CHA acquired the former Whidden Memorial Hospital (now CHA Everett Hospital) and associated services in Malden and Revere. This expanded CHA's service area and gave it the ability to help even more individuals and families in need.

  • Awards and Recognition

    System-Wide Awards

    > CHA was ranked as the #1 hospital in Massachusetts in 2023 (A grade) for Community Benefit by the Lown Institute, a nonpartisan healthcare think tank. The Lown Hospital Index examined more than 3,600 hospitals using 54 metrics to evaluate equity, value and patient outcomes. CHA also earned A grades for Inclusivity, Social Responsibility, Health Equity, Value of Care, and Avoiding Overuse.

    > CHA named one of Newsweek's Best Maternity Hospitals 2021, 2022 and 2023. This honor reflects CHA's extensive efforts to reduce pregnancy risk, including prevention training and low C-section rates.

    > CHA named an "LGBTQ Health Care Equality Leader" for 2022-2023 by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation.

    > CHA named one of the top places to work in Massachusetts in 2023 by Forbes Magazine.

    > CHA was named a 2022 WWCMA WorkWell Massachusetts Award winner for exemplary worksite health promotion.

    > Latinos Unidos en Massachusetts (LUMA) presented CHA with an award for our support of immigrant communities.


    Staff Awards

    > Azeesat Babajide, MD, (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) received the 2023 Harvard Medical School Office for Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership Faculty Fellowship. 

    > Todd Griswold, MD, (Psychiatry) received the CHA Sandra and Arnold Gold Award for Humanistic Teaching from Harvard Medical School (HMS).

    > Gaurab Basu, MD, MPH, (Internal Medicine), co-director of CHA’s Center for Health Equity Education & Advocacy, received the inaugural Equity, Social Justice, and Advocacy Award from Harvard Medical School/Harvard School of Dental Medicine

    > Astride Desrosiers, MD, (Psychiatry) medical director of the CHA Haitian Mental Health Program, was honored by the Boston City Council for her longstanding commitment to the Haitian people.

    > Emily Lupez, MD, CHA Internal Medicine Fellow, received the 2023 Mack Lipkin, Sr. Associate Member Presentation Award from the Society of General Internal Medicine.

    > Marie-Louise Jean-Baptiste, MD, (Internal Medicine), received the Welcome Project’s Intercultural Award.

    > Jeanette Callahan, MD, (Pediatrics), was invited to join the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission’s Advisory Council.

    > Hannah Galvin, MD, CHA's chief medical information officer, was appointed by the Comptroller General of the U.S. to a three-year term on the national Health Information Technology Advisory Committee (HITAC).

    > Tiffany Vassell, RN, CHA Cambridge Hospital labor and delivery, was named one of Ten Outstanding Leaders by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce for her work in the maternal health space and community advocacy.

    > Neha Sandeep, PA-C received the 2022 William H. Marquardt Community Health Access Fellowship award by the PA Foundation for her dedication and service to marginalized communities.

    > Sarah Nelson, PhD, director of research at the Division on Addiction, earned a 2022 Scientific Achievement Award from the International Center for Responsible Gaming.

    > Gabriella Iagaru, MD, (Child & Adolescent Psychiatry) received the Excellence in Clinical Instruction Faculty Award from the Harvard Medical School Class of 2022.

    > Alec Eidelman, DMD, MPH, (Dentistry) was recognized by the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS) as one of the "10 Under Ten" for 2022.

    > Avlot Quessa, senior multicultural affairs director received the Tony Winsor Award for 2022 from UMass Chan Medical School, Commonwealth Medicine, and MassHealth, for his work to improve medical interprting in Massachusetts.

    > Allen Shaughnessy, PharmD, MMedEd, director of master teacher development for the Tufts Family Medicine Residency at CHA received the Lynn and Joan Carmichael STFM Recognition Award from the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine (STFM).

    > CHA PACE's Brenda Lattin received the Phyllis Solomon Champion Award, awarded by MassPACE..

    > Michael James, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, was awarded the annual Leading the Way award from the Center for Collaborative Leadership at the College of Management, University of Massachusetts Boston..

  • Commitment to Diverse People

    CHA has a longstanding commitment to vulnerable and diverse patients and is proud to serve all those in need. Its motto is "We Care for All."

    Many CHA patients have public or subsidized insurance (Medicare, Medicaid, etc.) and traditionally experience barriers to care. In order to serve these individuals and families, CHA has bilingual providers, a robust interpreter program and numerous linguistic services. It also has an award-winning Volunteer Health Advisor program that brings together people from many cultures to help local residents gain access to care and live healthier lives.

  • Our Academic Mission

    CHA is an academic health system with outstanding physician-teachers and strong training and research programs. It is the only healthcare system that is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and the Tufts University School of Medicine.

    CHA offers a variety of undergraduate, graduate and continuing medical education efforts. These include the noteworthy Harvard-Cambridge Integrated Clerkship, an alternative experience for third year Harvard Medical students with an innovative “continuity of care” curriculum. CHA also sponsors Harvard affiliated training programs in internal medicine, adult and child psychiatry, psychology and dentistry, the Tufts family medicine residency and a Pharmacy residency program.

  • Mission, Vision and Values

    Mission: To improve the health of our patients and communities.

    Vision: Equity and excellence for everyone, every time.

    Values: To Make a Positive Difference - Community, Integrity, Respect, Compassion, Learning, Excellence (CIRCLE).

    Cambridge Health Alliance prohibits discrimination based on age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language, physical or mental disability, socioeconomic status, sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity or expression.

  • Ethics, Principles and Practices

    General Principles

    The best interests of our patients drive our decision-making.

    We are dedicated to the principle that all patients, employees, physicians and visitors will be treated with dignity, respect, and courtesy.

    Honest, open communication characterizes all of our interactions with patients, employees, and the community.

    We honor the diversity of our patients, staff, and community and create a culture in which all feel valued and respected.

    We are committed to using a collaborative decision-making process in resolving difficult patient care issues which involves all appropriate parties.

    We fairly and accurately represent ourselves and our capabilities.

    We provide services to meet the identified needs of our patients and do not provide unnecessary services.

    We continuously improve the quality of our medical care.

    We maintain patient confidentiality.

    We honor our commitments to patients, staff, and the community.

    We hold ourselves to the highest standards in meeting and exceeding all of our professional standards and legal and regulatory obligations.

    We continuously monitor our compliance with this code of ethics and provide training as needed to achieve these goals.

    Ethical Policy Issues and Examples:

    Patient Care Issues

    Treatment decisions are made on a case by case basis. Our care decisions are based on the clinical status of our patients and on patient/family desire.

    We work in partnership with our patients and, if appropriate, with their families. We share information about patient needs and preferences, diagnostic and treatment opportunities, and the risks and alternatives to recommended courses of action. Communication with families is guided by the wishes of our patients.

    When unexpected consequences or errors occur which significantly impact patient well being, it is our duty to inform the patient and/or family of the probable cause.

    We proactively develop systems to maintain patient and other information in a confidential manner, recognizing the special challenges created by the increasing use of electronic methods of storing and sharing information.

    We provide patients and their families with multiple methods to share with us their issues and concerns.

    All members of the health care team have independent duties to be sensitive to a patient's needs and desires and to report their perceptions to the physician in charge. The physician will encourage such communication.

    Workplace Issues

    We openly share information with our staff and keep our promises to our employees.

    We provide a safe workplace free from any form of discrimination or harassment.

    We encourage staff to share any ethical issues that arise for them by providing both confidential and anonymous methods to communicate their concerns.

    We recognize that conflicts will inevitably arise amongst those who participate in hospital and patient care decisions. We seek to resolve all conflicts fairly and objectively.

    Business Practices

    We provide inpatient and outpatient services to persons regardless of their ability to pay or immigration status.

    Decisions to divert or transfer a patient to another facility are made only upon patient request or when the patient's specific disease or condition cannot be safely treated at our facility.

    Discharge decisions are based on the patient's medical condition and readiness for discharge. We work to ensure that patients are treated at the most appropriate level of care.

    We maintain a compliance program designed to establish a culture that promotes prevention, detection and resolution of instances of conduct which do not conform to federal and state law and federal, state, and private health care program requirements.

    We welcome patient or other payer questions about charges. Questions will be discussed and conflicts resolved without real or perceived harassment, using a fair and formal process.

    As part of our process, we will disclose any potential conflicts of interest and take appropriate actions to assure integrity.

    We review all marketing materials to ensure that our organization, services, and policies and procedures are stated to our community and patients accurately, clearly, and in a culturally appropriate manner.

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