Local political leaders joined Cambridge Health Alliance executives and staff on Tuesday, October 19th, to commemorate the reopening of the Highland Building at CHA’s Somerville Hospital campus.

Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) has unveiled its new Highland Building, a key component of the revitalized CHA Somerville Hospital campus. CHA invested $5.75 million in facility improvements and enhancements at the Highland Building and the hospital itself to transform the campus into a major 100,000-visit ambulatory center and administrative hub.

Visitors to the campus will be greeted with a striking and welcoming new entrance at the Highland Building (formerly the Medical Arts Building, located at 236 Highland Ave.). The building, which underwent extensive renovations over the past six months, is home to the CHA Eye Center and Somerville Hospital Primary Care. It features an open design, a new elevator, and facility improvements that connect it seamlessly to the hospital and its wide range of services.

The expanded CHA Eye Center offers expert care for all eye health needs as well as an optical shop. In addition to routine eye exams, the center provides treatment for glaucoma and other diseases, laser vision correction, and refractive and cataract surgeries. About 25,000 patient visits are expected each year.

Somerville Hospital Primary Care, opening on October 25th, combines CHA’s Somerville Primary Care and Internal Medicine Associates practices. Fifteen primary care physicians, including a geriatrician, will provide care to approximately 20,000 patient visits yearly while integrating services with on-site mental health providers and clinical pharmacists. The practice will use the innovative patient-centered medical home model, emphasizing coordinated care and prevention and wellness.

The revitalized Somerville Hospital campus offers nearly everything area residents need, all at one location. The Somerville Emergency Department, open 24 hours seven days a week, recently ranked first in the state for patient satisfaction, and wait times average under 20 minutes. CHA is the largest provider of prenatal care in Somerville and offers a variety of services at the Women’s Health Center. The campus also houses a state-of-the-art GI Center in addition to numerous other medical and surgical specialties, along with imaging services.

“CHA aims to become a national leader in the delivery of community-based healthcare, using new models of care and new technologies to create a more integrated and sustainable system that better meets the needs of our patients,” said CHA Chief Executive Officer Dennis Keefe. “The Somerville Hospital campus exemplifies this transformation, and our investments underscore our deep commitment to the city of Somerville and its residents.”

Additionally, CHA is relocating several of its non-clinical departments, including Human Resources and IT, to the Somerville Hospital campus. The move centralizes administrative operations and will save nearly $1 million a year in lease expense.

“CHA has been a tremendous community partner and an extremely important presence in the City of Somerville,” said Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. “The revitalization of the Somerville campus is a wonderful and welcome addition to the neighborhood, and I am certain that the residents of Somerville join me in thanking the CHA family for their work and dedication to this City and its constituents.”

On October 19th, over 100 people attended a celebration to commemorate the reopening of the Highland Building. Visitors included community members, CHA staff, and numerous political leaders who have provided critical support to CHA during the transformation of the Somerville Hospital campus.

“I’m extremely proud of the enhancements we’ve made to the Somerville campus,” said Mary Cassesso, Chair of CHA’s Board of Trustees and a lifelong Somerville resident. “The people of Somerville deserve access to outstanding medical care in their community, and these changes ensure we will be here for the future.”

Cambridge Health Alliance is an integrated award-winning health system that provides high quality care in Cambridge, Somerville, and Boston’s metro-north communities. It includes three hospital campuses, a network of primary care and specialty practices, the Cambridge Public Health Dept., and the Network Health plan. 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. Visit us online at www.challiance.org.