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Dear Friends,
I am excited to relaunch the Foundation's newsletter and share highlights of the great things happening at Cambridge Health Alliance. From the purchase of a new da Vinci surgical robot to the reopening of the renovated birth center, you should feel proud of all we are doing together to bring better health and compassionate, equitable care to our patients and communities.
Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Julie Sun
Chief Development Officer
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CHA Earns Highest Age-Friendly Recognition
CHA Cambridge and CHA Everett Hospitals have earned the highest level of recognition from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative. This reflects how our care teams consistently focus on what matters most to each older adult, along with medications, memory and mental well-being, and mobility, to make care safer, more personal, and more responsive.
CHA is building on this progress by developing a dedicated older adult unit at Everett Hospital and expanding CHA PACE, which helps older adults live safely and independently in their communities. A $100,000 grant from the Farnsworth Trust will help support this important work and inspire additional investment in these growing programs. Read more.
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Expert Breast Surgery, Close to Home
With Michelle Haslinger, MD, now leading the CHA Cambridge Breast Center, patients can once again receive the full range of advanced breast surgical care within CHA. Dr. Haslinger is an accomplished surgeon who completed fellowships in both Plastic Surgery and Breast Surgical Oncology. She previously served as a breast surgical oncologist and director of oncoplastic surgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and comes to us most recently from Northern Light Mercy Hospital in Portland, Maine. Her leadership strengthens CHA’s ability to provide exceptional, compassionate care from diagnosis through treatment and recovery. Read more.
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Your Generosity Brings Advanced Robotic Surgery to Everett
Thanks to the generosity of CHA donors, more patients can now access advanced robotic surgery closer to home. A new da Vinci surgical system at CHA Everett Hospital, funded in part by $2.5 million raised by the CHA Foundation, brings the most advanced robotic surgical system to CHA and expands minimally invasive surgery to more patients across CHA’s communities. Chief of Surgery Siva Vithiananthan, MD, performed the first procedures using the new system in early June.
With robotic surgery now available in more locations, patients have more convenient access to technology that gives surgeons enhanced precision and, for many procedures, can mean smaller incisions, less pain, and a faster recovery for patients. We are deeply grateful to the donors whose generosity made this important advancement possible. Read more.
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The Boston Globe Spotlights CHA's Care for Teen Mental Health
At Somerville High School, students can access mental health care during the school day, in a place they know and trust. The Boston Globe recently spotlighted CHA’s Somerville Teen Connection. Highlighting the teen center’s free, school-based mental health services and multilingual outreach to parents, the article notes the center’s great impact, including reducing suspensions at Somerville High School by half.
The Globe’s coverage underscored the power of meeting young people where they are and the importance of sustaining the additional staff and services made possible by a time-limited philanthropic pilot. Read more.
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CHA Leader Receives HIMSS Changemaker Award for Health Equity
Hannah Galvin, MD, CHA’s chief health information officer and interim chief of pediatrics, has received the 2026 HIMSS Changemaker in Health Award for Health Equity. The honor recognizes her impactful leadership in using technology to advance a more equitable health data ecosystem for patients nationwide.
Dr. Galvin’s leadership reflects the kind of innovation CHA brings to improve care within CHA and far beyond our walls. We are grateful for all of the donors like you who have brought innovation and advanced care to our patients at CHA. Read more.
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Your Generosity in Action |
Record-Breaking Gala Advances Care Across CHA
Because of the generosity of donors, sponsors, and friends like you, CHA’s 2026 Art of Healing gala was a record-breaking celebration of what is possible when a community comes together for better health. This year, 550 supporters gathered at Encore Boston Harbor and raised more than $1 million—the most ever for a CHA gala. With pedicabs ushering guests in, a cocktail reception on the terrace overlooking the water, fun auction items, an afterparty with dancing, and more, we all left feeling good about how we joined together to improve health in our communities.
That generosity will be felt far beyond one evening. Your support will help children and teenagers connect with behavioral health care when they need it most, help patients access primary and specialty care closer to home, and advance innovations that make care more connected, compassionate, and responsive. Thank you for believing in CHA’s mission and investing in excellence in patient care. Read more and watch the gala video.
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You Helped Make Care More Comforting for CHA Kids
Supporters of Move for CHA Kids, an employee fundraising initiative, turned movement and caring into meaningful help, raising an inspiring $8,150 for CHA’s youngest patients. Those gifts will provide practical resources that will make primary care visits and inpatient behavioral health stays less frightening and more comfortable for children and their families.
The generosity of our employees and their sponsors will provide Buzzy devices that reduce needle pain and anxiety, sensory kits that help children feel calmer during care, and art supplies, games, clothing, and other comforting essentials for children in CHA’s inpatient behavioral health units. Thank you to all who are helping make care more comfortable for CHA’s young patients.
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CHA Named One of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals
For the fifth year, CHA was named to Newsweek’s list of America’s Best Maternity Hospitals. The recognition reflects the quality, safety, and patient experience offered throughout pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.
CHA’s maternity teams bring physicians, midwives, nurses, doulas, and other specialists together to provide coordinated care shaped by each patient’s needs and preferences. This national honor affirms CHA’s commitment to safer, more equitable care for parents and babies across our communities. Read more.
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Donor Support Transforms the CHA Birth Center
The same commitment to safe, equitable, and patient-centered maternity care recognized by Newsweek is at the heart of the newly renovated CHA Birth Center. Thanks to generous philanthropic support from Beth Israel Lahey Health, the Roots & Wings Foundation, and other donors, the Birth Center will reopen for deliveries on July 6.
The redesigned center offers a peaceful, home-like setting with birthing tubs and other tools that support natural birth. Families also benefit from certified nurse-midwives, multilingual and culturally diverse doulas, and immediate access to advanced medical care at CHA Cambridge Hospital. Thank you to everyone whose generosity helped create this warm and welcoming place for parents and babies. Read more.
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Academics: Research and Training |
CHA Academy of Educators Invests in the Future of Care
CHA has launched a new Academy of Educators to strengthen the clinicians who teach and mentor the next generation of health professionals. The Academy is led by Marcela Almeida, MD, a member of the faculty at Harvard Medical School and the Director of the CHA Adult Psychiatry Residency Program. A native of Brazil, Dr. Almeida began her career caring for patients in a remote community in northeastern Brazil. She later led a specialized women’s mental health and reproductive psychiatry program at the University of Illinois Chicago and taught and practiced at Brigham and Women’s Hospital before joining CHA.
Under Dr. Almeida, the Academy will advance teaching excellence, foster educational scholarship, and strengthen collaboration across disciplines. The Academy’s work will support excellent patient care today while preparing highly skilled health professionals to serve CHA’s diverse communities for years to come. Read more.
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Mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
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July 6 - CHA Birth Center Reopens for deliveries
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October 8 - DAF (Donor-Advised Fund) Day
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December 1 - GivingTuesday
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