On Monday, June 6, community health system Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) will open the Teen Health Center at Malden High School. The launch of the center follows years of collaboration and partnership between CHA, the Tufts University Family Medicine Residency at CHA, and the City of Malden to offer an innovative model for delivering teen-centered primary care services during school hours that will remove barriers to care for students ages 12 - 24.
School-based health centers provide comprehensive care in a safe environment that allows students to address physical and mental health needs while remaining in school and missing limited classroom time. In coordination with the school nurses, the Teen Health Center at Malden High will provide a full range of medical and diagnostic care conveniently located on-site, including immunizations, mental health and substance use counseling, dental care, sleep support, healthy eating, testing and screenings, and free and confidential sexual and reproductive health services. The center will be open whenever school is in session, and services are available regardless of students’ ability to pay, insurance coverage, or immigration status. CHA also operates three school-based health centers in Cambridge, Everett, and Somerville.
“The Teen Health Center in Malden is an extension of our mission to improve the health of our communities and meet our patients where it is most convenient for them and their families,” said Assaad Sayah, MD, CHA’s CEO. “I am very grateful for the support of the City of Malden and our legislative delegation throughout this process.”
“We are pleased to finally be able to achieve this long-standing goal of providing health care to students in an environment that is trusted and immediately accessible to them,” said Malden Mayor Gary Christenson. “Thank you to Cambridge Health Alliance for their partnership in making this possible and to our State Delegation for their continued support.”
Dr. Sayah and Mayor Christenson will be joined by the State Delegation and city officials for an official ribbon cutting that afternoon. More information about the center is available here.
Cambridge Health Alliance is an academic community health system committed to providing high-quality care in Cambridge, Somerville and Boston’s metro-north communities. CHA has expertise in primary care, specialty care and mental health/substance use services, as well as caring for diverse and complex populations. It includes two hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices and the Cambridge Public Health Dept. CHA patients have seamless access to advanced care through the system’s affiliation with Beth Israel Lahey Health. CHA is a Harvard Medical School teaching affiliate and is also affiliated with Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine.