CHA Celebrates the Opening of the Malden Community Behavioral Health Center
On Monday, Feb. 12, local community leaders and legislators joined Cambridge Health Alliance to celebrate the opening of its Community Behavioral Health Center location at the CHA Malden Care Center
MALDEN, Mass. – On Monday, Feb. 12, Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), a community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston's metro-north communities, celebrated the opening of its second Community Behavioral Health Center (CBHC) location at its Malden Care Center. CHA is one of 25 designated Community Behavioral Health Centers operating statewide as part of an initiative launched by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in 2023 to expand access to routine, urgent, and crisis treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders.
This is CHA's second Community Behavioral Health Center site, having opened the first site at CHA Cambridge Hospital in January 2023. Like the Cambridge location, the Malden CBHC site offers Behavioral Health Urgent Care daily, with same-day evaluation and referral to treatment. It also provides outpatient services in person and through video visits. There is a 24-hour phone line (833-222-2030) for people in crisis. CHA will also continue to provide 24/7 mobile crisis services in individuals' homes, schools, or other community locations throughout Cambridge, Somerville, Malden, Everett and Medford.
At the opening event, CHA staff gathered with legislators, local officials, and community partners. More than 50 attendees toured the new site to hear about the value it brings to patients and communities. Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Assaad Sayah, MD, discussed the importance of the CBHC in supporting people with behavioral health needs. Chief of Psychiatry Carl Fulwiler, MD, shared details about CHA’s work to mitigate the behavioral health crisis, highlighting that the Cambridge CBHC helped more than 7,500 people in crisis last year. Other speakers included State Senators Pat Jehlen and Sal DiDomenico, State Rep. Paul Donato, Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, and Middlesex County DA Marian Ryan.