Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) has been chosen as one of 25 Community Behavioral Health Centers (CBHCs) n Massachusetts. This initiative will improve access to behavioral health care and will serve people of all ages. The CBHCs will serve as an entry point for timely, high-quality and evidence-based treatment for mental health conditions and substance use disorders, including routine appointments, urgent visits, and 24/7 community-based crisis intervention as an alternative to hospital emergency departments.
The CHA CBHC service area is Cambridge, Everett, Malden, Medford and Somerville. There are other CBHC providers in other local communities, a full list can be found HERE.
The CBHC will launch on January 3, 2023. Initial services will be located at Cambridge Hospital, 1493 Cambridge Street in Cambridge. We plan to open a second location in Malden later in 2023.
The CHA CBHC will offer the following services:
- 24-hour Access and Crisis Line (833-222-2030) to support mental health needs and connect people to care. Please note this line will launch on January 3, 2023.
- Urgent (Behavioral Health) Care/Walk In clinic at Cambridge Hospital (Cahill building, 1st floor). This service will provide rapid assessment and treatment for urgent behavioral health needs. Our hours are Mon-Fri 8am to 8pm and Sat-Sun 9am to 5:30pm.
- 24-hour Mobile Crisis Services staffed by trained behavioral health clinicians. This team will engage people in crisis in community locations and will offer assessment, treatment and connect to care.
Once people are evaluated by the CBHC, they will be connected to care based on their needs. Recommendations may include hospitalization, medication consultation and management, individual or group therapy, meetings with a recovery coach, peer specialist, or family support specialist, or other services.
To help inform the public about these new services, CHA has created FAQ documents as well as small pocket cards with information about our phone line and urgent (Behavioral Health) care. These materials are available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole.