CHA Raises $678,000 at Its Annual Art of Healing Award Dinner
CHA honors Michael Curry, Esq., president and CEO of the Mass. League of Community Health Centers
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA), an academic community health system serving Cambridge, Somerville and Boston's metro-north region, honored Michael Curry, Esq., president and CEO of the Mass. League of Community Health Centers, with its annual Art of Healing Award on June 20 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge. Mr. Curry was honored for his work and commitment to health equity. The Cataldo Family and Ambulance Service were recognized with the inaugural Partnership Award. In addition to being longtime CHA partners, the Cataldo family is well known and respected for their community involvement.
Michael Curry, Esq., recipient of CHA's 2024 Art of Healing Award, is a leading advocate for civil rights, health reform and equity. He serves as president & CEO of the Mass. League of Community Health Centers, which represents 52 health centers, serving over one million patients out of over 300 practice sites. Mr. Curry also serves as co-chair of the Mass. Health Equity Task Force alongside CHA's CEO, Assaad Sayah, MD. Mr. Curry has served on multiple state and city task forces and continues to serve on the board of the national NAACP. He was recently named one of Boston Magazine's 150 Most Influential Bostonians.
During the early battle with the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Curry was appointed by the Massachusetts Senate to the legislatively created Health Equity Task Force, which he co-chaired, aimed at addressing the health disparities that have been realized and magnified by COVID-19. He was also appointed by then Governor Charlie Baker to the COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group, and served on the Department of Public Health's Health Equity Advisory Group, the City of Boston's Health Inequity Task Force, and the City of Brockton's Social Justice Task Force. He gained a reputation for always being the equity voice in the room.
"We are proud to honor Michael Curry for his commitment to eliminating health disparities across our communities," said Assaad Sayah, MD, CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance. “Michael has spent his career fighting for civil rights and health reform, and his passion for health equity reflects CHA's mission to improve the health of our patients and communities."
The award was presented during CHA's signature fundraising event, which raised $678,000 to support the health system's vision of equity and excellence for everyone, every time. The Art of Healing Award celebrates visionary people who transcend boundaries, embrace humanity and inspire the healing of body and spirit. Past honorees include Marylou Sudders, former Mass. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Dr. Noubar Afeyan, founder and CEO of Flagship Pioneering, John Rosenthal, founder of Stop Handgun Violence, former Mass. Governor Michael and Mrs. Kitty Dukakis, and Donald Berwick, MD, former Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
This year's event highlighted CHA's commitment to equity, helping communities overcome health disparities and support patients as they harness the extraordinary strength it takes to face systems that marginalize them every day. Proceeds from this evening will directly support expanding CHA's robust health care system, which provides outstanding health care services to patients, but also invests in the future through capital improvements, workforce development and meeting the clinical needs of CHA's patient population through innovation.