Community Healthlink reaches deal with union, still working to reopen all shuttered programs

PHOTO | Isabel Tehan SEIU Local 509 members at the UMass Memorial Health administrative offices, in protest of the closure of Community Healthlink programs

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By Mica Kanner-Mascolo

Union workers of Community Healthlink, a Worcester-based nonprofit provider of mental health and addiction services, have entered into a tentative contract agreement with parent-operator UMass Memorial Health, as it works to reopen three programs shuttered after a state inspection last year.

“We have reached a tentative agreement with SEIU 509 for a successor collective bargaining agreement (CBA), with a ratification vote scheduled for December 9,” UMMH wrote in a Dec. 4 email to WBJ. “This new CBA reflects our commitment to appropriately compensating caregivers for the lifesaving and compassionate care they provide to clients in need throughout the region.”

Service Employees International Union Local 509, the labor union representing CHL workers, did not return WBJ’s request for comment. The union’s previous contract expired on Sept. 30.

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The contract negotiations come close to two years after the behavioral health organization’s detox program, PASSages program, and Thayer Transitional Support Services program were voluntarily suspended in an agreement with the Massachusetts Bureau of Substance Addiction Services in April 2023 following a state inspection. CHL’s then-President Tamara Lundi announced she would step down from her role as the provider laid off 80 employees.

On April 1, CHL announced it had reopened its Transitional Support Services, its 24/7 substance-use disorder recovery program. On July 9, the provider announced it had reopened its Clinical Support Services, formerly known as PASSages, along with its expectation to reopen its detox program by the end of the summer. However, the detox program remains closed.

In June 2023, members of the Worcester City Council voted to pass a resolution calling on CHL to reopen its closed programs. Two months later, the nonprofit announced it would take eight to 12 months to reopen the shuttered substance use programs, a stark increase from the previously projected three month estimate. The adjusted timeframe was reportedly due to new hiring and staffing requirements, capital improvements at its 12 Queen St., and the purchase of new patient beds.

The provider would need to hire 60-70 new staff members before the programs can reopen, according to a letter from the Worcester Commissioner of Health and Human Services Dr. Matilde Castiel to City Manager Eric Batista.

Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.