Community Healthlink Workers Plead for City Support Amid Cuts

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Employees of Community Healthlink, a mental health and addiction services provider in Worcester, Massachusetts, have urged the City Council to support them and the people they serve as UMass Memorial Health, the organization's parent company, moves to cut vital programs and dismantle the entire organization.

Why it matters

Community Healthlink has been a critical resource for Central Massachusetts residents struggling with mental illness and addiction, providing essential support services. Its potential closure would leave a significant gap in the region's healthcare safety net at a time of heightened need.

The details

Over the past few years, UMass Memorial Health has systematically dismantled key programs at Community Healthlink with no regard for the staff or the communities that rely on these services. Now, the company has announced plans to entirely dismantle the organization, leaving its employees and clients in limbo.

• Community Healthlink has been an affiliate of UMass Memorial Health for several years.
• UMass Memorial Health began cutting vital programs at Community Healthlink over the past few years.
• UMass Memorial Health recently announced plans to dismantle Community Healthlink entirely.

What’s next

The Worcester City Council is expected to consider ways to support Community Healthlink and its employees in the wake of UMass Memorial Health's plans to dismantle the organization.