Cambridge Health Alliance: News

Cambridge, Chelsea, Everett, Malden, Medford, Revere, Somerville, Winthrop, MA… On June 18, 2007 Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) will open the CHA Malden Family Medicine Center (Center), which will serve as the anchor of a 75,000 square-foot ambulatory care building at 195 Canal St. in Malden, Mass. Boston-based architects, Perkins & Will, worked with contractors A.J. Martini Inc., to build out the space. Government officials, area business and community leaders, and the public gathered on Monday, June 4th, for the official opening celebration of the CHA Malden Family Medicine Center. The Center will open to patients on June 18th.

The Center will be staffed by approximately 80 employees, including faculty and residents from the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency, a team of more than 30 family medicine doctors. See: www.tuftsfmr.org

The doctors will provide primary care services for all ages, from children to seniors, and they have special expertise in women’s healthcare, sports medicine, and other health services. Several of these doctors, including Joe Gravel, MD, and Lyle Bohlman, MD, have been based in Malden for more than a decade and are looking forward to serving their patients at the new location.

Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard is pleased to welcome CHA to Malden: “Cambridge Health Alliance and Tufts University School of Medicine are nationally recognized for excellence and innovations in community-based healthcare. The synergies with Cambridge Health Alliance from both health and economic development perspectives are promising. This is a great opportunity for residents of Malden and surrounding communities to have quality healthcare options in downtown Malden.”

CHA CEO Dennis D. Keefe concurs: “As Mayor Howard said, this is a really excellent fit. Malden is a vibrant city where seniors, young families, teens, and toddlers commingle in a diverse setting that is rich with history. CHA is fulfilling a need for this community, and we are delighted to be here.”

Congressman Edward J. Markey added: "I commend Mayor Howard, Cambridge Health Alliance, and Tufts University for their dedication to this project and to the citizens of the greater Malden community. Cambridge Health Alliance's extensive family medicine services combined with the Tufts Family Medicine Residency will bring the best in healthcare within easy access. CHA is a demonstrated community partner based on my experience in other communities they serve like Everett and Revere, and I look forward to the collaboration in Malden," he said.

Tufts University School of Medicine’s Robert L. Dickman, MD, celebrates the Center as it will house the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency: “Tufts University School of Medicine has a tradition of excellence that has spanned more than 100 years. We are committed to making our Family Medicine Residency one of the nation's best programs, and are proud to have Cambridge Health Alliance as a partner in this effort. This year’s incoming residents are one of the finest recruitment classes we have ever seen, and I am pleased that they will be in a new location that is so conducive to both community teaching and patient care,” said Robert L. Dickman, MD, Jaharis Family Chair in Family Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine.

The Tufts University Family Medicine Residency Training Program is a nationally recognized program that trains new family medicine physicians. In January of 2007, the program was selected as one of 14 out of over 400 Family Medicine training programs nationwide, for the introduction and development of an innovative approach to training new physicians. The staff physicians are appointed at the Tufts University School of Medicine.

CHA provides culturally competent care through a diverse staff and robust multi-lingual interpreter services. On-site interpreter services will be available at the Center as with all of CHA’s locations, and there is capacity to support community health education programs. Over 50 languages are available through the interpreters and an additional 90 by telephone interpreting.

CHA is also an innovator in information technology, which is utilized to coordinate a comprehensive array of healthcare services. The CHA Malden Family Medicine Center will utilize an electronic medical record, which will help ensure that integrated patient information is available whenever it is needed by the physicians and other medical staff at the Center and other CHA sites to promote wellness and continuity of care.

CHA staff includes doctors who have been in Malden for years, as well as new providers who will be offering expanded services at the Center. Primary care for men, women, & children, and specialty services will be offered along with onsite lab and radiology services. Patients will be able to access experts and services in sports medicine, complementary medicine therapies, and specialized care for asthma, diabetes, and depression.

Routine physicals, same-day sick visits, children’s services, such as immunizations, regular check-ups, and school/sports exams, adolescent services, including healthcare and counseling geared specifically to teens are just some of the offerings for youths.

Women’s health services are extensive and include well-women care like yearly pap tests and breast exams, colposcopy, family planning, counseling on menopause, and treatment of osteoporosis. There will also be prenatal care for expecting mothers, including prenatal classes and delivery at CHA’s Cambridge Hospital campus.

CHA Malden Family Medicine Center phone number is 781-338-0500. Appointments are being scheduled for June and beyond. Initial hours of operation will be Monday-Wednesday, 8 am - 8 pm, Thursday/Friday 8 am - 5 pm, and Saturday, 10 am - 1 pm. The Center has ample free parking for patients. More information about the site can be found online at www.challiance.org/malden

Photo caption: Dennis D. Keefe (center), CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance, is joined by Jeffrey Glassroth, MD (left), Vice Dean of the Tufts University School of Medicine, and Malden Mayor Richard C. Howard (right) along with Cambridge Health Alliance staff, area government officials, and members of the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency to celebrate the opening of the new CHA Malden Family Medicine Center.

Cambridge Health Alliance is a regional healthcare system with three hospitals and more than twenty primary care practices in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston's metro-North communities. Cambridge Health Alliance offers medical residency/training programs and undergraduate learning experiences in hospital and community settings. Cambridge Health Alliance also includes the Cambridge Public Health Department, CHA Physician's Organization (CHAPO), and Network Health, a managed Medicaid and Commonwealth Care plan.