Diversity

At CHA, diversity is in our DNA.

Cambridge Health Alliance is a unique organization that celebrates and embraces the individuality of its staff, patients and communities. 

Diversity at CHA

We believe good healthcare is more than sick visits and surgeries. Our whole-person approach looks at physical and mental health, social determinants like housing and food security, and cultural factors.

Our staff are teachers and students in the delivery of multi-cultural and multi-dimensional care. Our model integrates mental health care and screenings for social determinants of health into our primary care services, resulting in earlier interventions and reduced stigma.

Key to our diversity work is our quest for health equity and goal to becoming an anti-racist organization. Please read our Anti-Racism Statement.

As a prominent Boston-area teaching hospital, CHA is proud to serve the people who live and work in our communities and to be an employer of choice for thousands of talented professionals. Learn more about working at CHA

Recognition

Newsweek Diversity Award logoCHA was named one of America’s Greatest Workplaces for Diversity for 2024 by Newsweek

This award recognizes our impact and commitment to diverse and equitable care for our patients and communities.

Learn more

Health Equality Index Award 2024 to CHACHA Earns Top Score in Healthcare Equality Index

The "LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality Leader" designation was received in the the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). This is the nation's foremost benchmarking survey of healthcare facilities on policies and practices dedicated to the equitable treatment and inclusion of LGBTQ+ patients, visitors and employees.

Learn more

A CHA Discussion on Racial Justice

Listen to Dr. Xenia Johnson Bhembe's powerful comments and faith in what comes next regarding racial justice. This excerp was from an internal CHA panel focusing on anti-racism work at CHA.

Moving Forward: From Diversity to Justice and Health Equity

Diversity is embedded into CHA. We're looking to the future to do even more and be a leader in health equity and justice.

  • The Diverse Communities We Serve

    We are proud to serve a highly diverse patient population.

    2017 Race / Ethnicity Graphic

    (Data source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2010-2014 5-year estimates Provided by Ranjani Paradise, Institute for Community Health (rparadise@challiance.org)

  • Multilingual Services

    Cambridge Health Alliance serves one of the most culturally and linguistically diverse patient populations in the United States.

    Over half our patients speak a language other than English at home. Around 42% of our primary care patients have limited English proficiency and need a professional medical interpreter.

    To support them, CHA has built a robust Multicultural Affairs and Patient Services team. We regularly provide interpreter services in more than 60 languages to all CHA sites. This includes requests for the deaf or hard of hearing, including American Sign Language and CDI services.

    How We Do It

      • Professional medical interpreters via face-to-face, telephonic and video conference
      • Professional written translation services for forms, signage, and patient materials
      • Cultural and linguistic education for clinical and non-clinical staff
      • Language proficiency testing for bilingual providers

    In addition, Multicultural Affairs and Patient Services manages the Information Desk at our Cambridge and Somerville campuses. A multilingual team greets and assists patients and visitors to navigate each campus, enhancing the experience of care. Language access is available at each Information Desk and site maps are provided in English, Portuguese, Spanish and Haitian Creole.

  • Meeting Mental Health Needs

    Our Behavioral Health teams provide evaluation, counseling, and therapy and have targeted programs that meet the unique mental health needs of specific ethnic populations.

    Expert staff provide culturally competent care to hundreds of people with concerns ranging from mild anxiety and depression to learning disabilities, relationship problems, addictions, and chronic or acute mental illness.

  • Patients Bill of Rights

    Federal and state law provide for specific patient rights.

    At Cambridge Health Alliance, we recognize our responsibility to respect these rights as well as to inform you of them.

    Patient Rights and Responsibilities

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