CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC (EIN 01-0676306)

Community Health Improvement
As the sole public hospital/health system in Massachusetts, CHA is a critical safety net provider for some of the state’s neediest residents - more than 140,000 vulnerable patients who rely on CHA for care. Approximately 70% of these patients are low-income, disabled or elderly; 56% identify as a racial/ethnic minority; 44% speak a primary language other than English; with 30% of all care encounters requiring interpreter services. As CHA’s primary service area has a high density of residents living below the federal poverty level, CHA has the highest percentage of patients with public health insurance (57%) of any acute hospital in the state, and 6% with no insurance. CHA believes it is paramount to also offer programs and services that address the social determinants of health – like food insecurity, stable housing and wellness. CHA’s Department of Community Health Improvement spearheads these initiatives and collaborates with its communities at the grassroots level to craft strategies and programs to address broad and pervasive health issues. These are designed for the whole community, not just CHA patients, and support CHA’s mission of improving the health of its communities. Program and Service Highlights Immigration – At a time of great uncertainty for the immigrant population, CHA has stepped in. CHA research on immigration and healthcare has informed the national conversation on health care equity issues. CHA providers published papers focusing on immigration in JAMA Pediatrics and Health Affairs, one of which was cited in a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief. Locally, CHA’s Immigrant Steering Committee has shaped outreach into immigrant communities. Last year, CHA distributed immigration rights and policy materials to patients and community members at 57 events. All CHA staff are being trained in culturally-appropriate care to make sure CHA’s 50,000 immigrant patients feel safe and understood. CHA has also created an Emergency Fund for immigrants who are in dire need of food, household supplies or even legal services, and has redirected additional dollars to this effort since COVID. Revere Market – CHA research revealed that food insecurity was a significant issue for 62% of patients in Revere and surrounding communities. To help, CHA created a free farmers market to distribute fresh produce to hungry people each month. Since March 2018, over 175,000 pounds of food has been distributed and the number of families coming to the market has more than doubled as a result of COVID-19. The market continues to be run by CHA staff on a volunteer basis. The Greater Boston Food Bank honored CHA with its Community Champion Award to celebrate this success. Peer to Peer Recovery Coaches – CHA funds Recovery Coaches in the Emergency Department at CHA Everett Hospital and CHA Cambridge Hospital to engage patients struggling with addiction. To date, CHA recovery coaches have counseled over 600 patients with substance abuse issues, most of whom were connected with community-based services. The coaches are able to capture patients while they are receiving care, often for overdose, to ensure no gaps in their medication coverage, and guide them to long-term support. Sibling Support program – When children are admitted for psychiatric hospitalization, their siblings are often left to cope with this harrowing experience on their own. Our program builds resiliency and reduces trauma for the siblings of these young people. 500 siblings have participated in the program’s peer support groups, bringing family-centered mental health care to 1,700 family members. Dental Care and Oral Health – A child’s dental health can be a mirror into their overall health. The CHA Dental Clinic at Somerville High School has improved the health of hundreds of students who normally don’t have access to dental care. A significant percentage of Somerville High students immigrated to the United States and some have never visited a dentist. The CHA teen health center, located at the high school, helps reach these students and make dental care accessible. Childhood Literacy – As CHA serves 30,000 children from the diverse Boston metro-north region, health care visits were found to be an excellent opportunity to support childhood literacy. This led CHA to create Project READ, a program that promotes early childhood literacy by giving brand new, age-appropriate books to all children who come to CHA for a wellness visit and then works with their families to encourage reading. All proceeds from the Foundation’s annual Bike4Books event benefits this amazing and life-altering program. See Test & Treat Health Screenings – Each year, CHA holds a special day where over 160 caring physicians and staff volunteer to provide FREE health screenings for uninsured or underinsured women, trans men and non-binary people, ages 21-65. Hundreds of women have received a pelvic exam and clinical breast exam, a Pap test with same-day results, and a screening mammogram with same-day or prompt results. Several women were found to have health issues that would have otherwise gone undetected and we were able to provide follow-up care plans for them. Volunteer Health Advisors - Our VHA program recruits, trains, and supports talented local leaders who have a close understanding of their community and are committed to improving health. VHAs complete an 80-hour Community Health Worker training and support CHA in ongoing health education and outreach efforts to their communities. CHA's 2020 VHA class has over 30 community members and leaders who collectively speak more than 10 languages. Teens in Everett Against Substance Abuse – TEASA is an initiative in partnership with our Community Health Improvement Department that enables youth leaders to contribute more than 600 hours of community service focused on substance use prevention through education and advocacy. Many who graduate from TEASA plan to pursue careers in the healthcare field. Mental Health First Aid - The Mental Health First Aid project strengthens the capacity of our community to provide outreach and support to someone experiencing a mental health crisis. This year, over 300 community members participated in the eight-hour certification training. Participants learned how to recognize the signs of anxiety, depression, psychosis, and substance misuse, and how to offer support to connect people to appropriate services. Mental Health First Aid is provided free of charge to people who live or work in the communities CHA serves. Healthcare for the Homeless - Homelessness can make it complicated to get medical care and mental health support. Our Healthcare for the Homeless team brings services directly to shelters, drop-in centers, and the streets of Cambridge and Somerville, and coordinates with partner organizations to connect patients experiencing homelessness to supportive resources. The CHA Foundation is always seeking support for these community-based programs that safeguard vulnerable populations and their families, and help keep their neighborhoods healthy and safe.
Geographies
Cambridge, MA, USA;
Somerville, MA, USA;
Chelsea, MA 02150, USA;
Everett, MA 02149, USA;
Revere, MA, USA;
Malden, MA, USA;
Medford, MA, USA;
Winthrop, MA, USA
Dates
Not indicated
Source
User-generated
Health,Human services
Multiracial people,People of African descent,People of Asian descent,People of European descent,People of Latin American descent
140K
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CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC

CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC

CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE FOUNDATION INC

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