In The Community - About Us: Cambridge Health Alliance

Community health is a major focus of Cambridge Health Alliance. CHA's comprehensive approach incorporates a variety of components, including targeted programs that reduce health disparities and promote wellness, public health initiatives aimed at improving the overall health of our communities, and collaborative research projects that tackle critical health issues and impact policy.

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Community Programs

CHA's innovative community programs support its commitment to eliminating barriers to care. The American Hospital Association's Institute for Diversity in Health Management recently recognized CHA for delivering culturally and linguistically competent patient care and successfully engaging the diverse communities it serves.

Community Affairs Department

CHA's Community Affairs department sponsors many programs aimed at cultural or linguistic minorities, at-risk populations, and the community as a whole. The award-winning Volunteer Health Advisor Program provides outreach at many community events. Other activities include health screenings, HIV counseling, diabetic support groups, and assistance in helping people both set up primary care appointments and apply for health coverage.

Cambridge Public Health Department

In addition to partnerships and coalitions with community groups and nonprofit agencies that strengthen its efforts to educate people and connect them to healthcare, CHA plays a key public health role in several of the communities it serves. CHA operates the Cambridge Public Health Department via a contract with the City of Cambridge. Additionally, it works closely with public health officials in several communities, including Somerville, Everett, and Malden, to integrate community and public health activities and provide health assessments of various populations.

Institute for Community Health

The Institute for Community Health (ICH), co-founded in 2000 by CHA, Mt. Auburn Hospital, and Massachusetts General Hospital, provides key support and data analysis for the needs assessments. ICH conducts research on effective clinical and community health programs, developing community action plans and policy for significant health issues including fitness and overweight screening for school children, substance abuse prevention, and child mental health.