Business & Tech
84 Layoffs Planned For Central MA Behavioral Health Center
A behavioral health center affiliated with UMass Memorial Health will lay off dozens of employees this year as it prepares to close.
WORCESTER, MA — A behavioral health center affiliated with UMass Memorial Health will lay off dozens of employees this year as it prepares for significant program transitions and an eventual organizational closure.
Community Healthlink will lay off 84 employees in Worcester, Leominster and Webster by June 30, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification it filed with the state on Thursday.
Earlier this month, the center announced in a memo to its staff that it would close, and said it would lay off 78 workers last week, a number which has since risen by six.
- Read more about the closure here: Community Healthlink Prepares For Eventual Closure
Community Healthlink programs play a key role in supporting behavioral health services across Central Massachusetts, and UMass Memorial Health officials say they are working with state agencies and local providers to ensure those services continue after the closure.
However, one major piece of the transition plan has changed.
UMass Memorial Health and Open Sky Community Services were unable to reach an agreement for Open Sky to take over several programs, including the Community Behavioral Health Center in Worcester, Continuum programs, PACT 1 and 2, ACCS and STAR services.
Despite that, Open Sky is still expected to acquire CHL’s Beryl and Orchard Street sites. The organization will work with the state’s Bureau of Substance Abuse Services to determine future care models and timelines for those locations.
Officials said discussions are ongoing with other community organizations that may step in to operate the programs that are still without a transition plan.
Meanwhile, Clinical and Support Options (CSO) has signed a letter of intent to take over the Community Behavioral Health Center in Leominster and PACT 3 in Fitchburg, according to Community Healthlink. CSO, which already operates a CBHC in Gardner, is continuing work on licensing, contracts and site readiness as part of the transition.
In an earlier memo to staff, CHL President Gordon Benson said new operators will begin hiring processes for programs, and CHL caregivers will be eligible to apply. He also said the organization would work with SEIU leadership on transition planning and help staff find opportunities within UMass Memorial Health.
“We have also initiated discussions with SEIU leadership to explore transition plans that support and retain our caregivers,” the memo stated.
Officials said their priority throughout the transition remains ensuring patients across Central Massachusetts continue to have access to high-quality behavioral health care.
“My goal is to remain transparent and keep you as informed as possible,” Benson wrote
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