CHA offers free Family Planning services in several primary care and women's health sites across our health care network. This includes locations in Cambridge, Everett, Revere, and Somerville, MA.

You do not need to be a CHA patient to access Family Planning services at any of our sites.

Reproductive Health Counseling

One-on-one services provide expert health information in a safe, confidential manner. People can come to us to discuss a wide range of reproductive health issues, from birth control to HIV/AIDS counseling and testing, in many Boston-area locations.

Health Counselors complement other primary care services found at our sites. Health Counselors can often spend more time with patients to give detailed information, offer testing, and answer questions.

Our staff are knowledgeable and non-judgmental. Visits are free and can be conducted in many different languages.

Services include, but are not limited to the following:

• Birth control/protection methods
• Pregnancy testing and options counseling
• HIV counseling and testing
• Sexually transmitted infection - education and testing
• Healthy relationships
• Puberty & menstruation
• Fertility awareness
• Emergency contraception

Health Educators collaborate with schools, parents, community organizations, health care settings, etc. to provide free health workshops for people of any age. Trained and certified Health Education staff provide age-appropriate classes and workshops in a variety of formats, ranging from single-sessions to a semester-long series, and vary in length to meet the needs of the audience.

Education is provided within various venues such as community fairs, parent-teacher meetings, in-school classes for grades 4 through college level, staff training/in-services, and in community youth serving agencies. Health topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Anatomy/Physiology
• Sexually Transmitted Infections and HIV/AIDS
• Pregnancy and Parenting Issues
• Pregnancy Prevention
• Abstinence
• Protection Methods/ Contraception
• Healthy Relationships/ Dating Violence
• Puberty
• Adolescent Development
• Communication/ Talking to Parents/ Talking to Teens
• Self-Esteem
• Decision-Making
• Sexuality/ Stereotyping/ Homophobia
• Primary Health Care/ Reproductive Health Care
• Teen Health Centers: Access and Available Resources

The Family Planning team facilitates a range of school-based youth development programs at local schools.

• Teen Health Advisory An after-school peer-leadership program at Somerville and Malden High Schools. Groups are guided by Health Educators, and focus on peer-led education, where teens pick monthly health topics. Teens coordinate bulletin boards and cafeteria information tables, as well as contests and fundraisers. Groups meet weekly.
• C.O.P.E. (Co-Operative Parenting Education) This is educational program for pregnant and parenting students in Somerville. This credit program supports teens through pregnancy and parenthood with case management, tutoring, support groups, education, and advocacy, with the ultimate goal of helping teen parents graduate. The C.O.P.E. office is at the High School and monthly workshops are provided on topics such as newborn care, nutrition, financial assistance, self-esteem, relationships, etc. For more information, please contact the C.O.P.E. Educator at 617-625-6600 x6156.
• EYC (Empowering Youth in our Community) A youth development program with a focus on community service learning that is based at Everett High School. Students meet weekly to earn credit for this year-long health elective about self awareness and healthy living, and choose a community project to work on as a group. The program is based on a combination of science-based curriculum and service learning as preventive methods, and is evaluated to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce school drop out and course failure.
• HHW (Helping Hands at Work) An after school peer leadership program with a focus on community service learning that is based at Everett High School. Groups are guided by health educators and students meet weekly to choose a community project to work on as a group. The program is based on a combination of science-based curriculum and service learning.