Making a Public Records Request
Cambridge Health Alliance is a public entity subject to the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L. Ch. 66, §10. You may make a public records request in person at the CHA executive offices or in writing to CHA's Records Access Officer.
CHA's General Counsel, Andrew Fuqua, has been designated as CHA's Records Access Officer. Although written requests are not required, they are encouraged so that we may respond completely and more promptly.
You may submit written public records requests by mail, facsimile, or email using the below contact information:
Andrew M. Fuqua
General Counsel and Records Access Officer
Cambridge Health Alliance
1493 Cambridge Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
Email: CHAPublicRecords@challiance.org
Fax: 617-665-1003
General Information
Please be as specific as possible when describing the records being requested. If applicable, please include relevant date ranges and any other information that may help CHA to identity the records that are being requested.
A sample public records request letter is here.
Not all CHA records are disclosable as “public records.” The Public Records Law exempts certain categories of documents from disclosure, and CHA's enabling act exempts additional categories of documents from disclosure. In addition, whether or not a CHA record is a “public record” depends on a variety of circumstances, some of which may vary by context.
In most cases, CHA will provide the first 4 hours of labor required to respond to your request at no charge. Fees may be assessed for additional labor or for providing hardcopies of records.
CHA can only respond to requests seeking CHA records and cannot respond to requests for records held by other entities. Each state agency and municipality has a Records Access Officer who can assist with submitting public records requests.
Asking a question does not qualify as a public records request. A public records request seeks “records” that already exist, usually in writing, and/or in one of the formats defined in M.G.L. Ch. 4, § cl. 26. CHA is not required to create a record in response to a public records request.