The number of jobs expected to disappear as Community Healthlink winds down operations has climbed to 231, a reminder of the scale of a transition that has reshaped one of Central Massachusetts’ largest behavioral health providers. It has also raised continuing questions about the future of services for thousands of residents.
A Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filing submitted this week by UMass Memorial Health and Community Healthlink increased the projected layoffs by 104 positions, bringing the total number of affected employees to 231. The latest filing lists 158 union positions and 73 nonunion positions, with layoffs scheduled to happen by Sept. 16.
The filing offers an even clearer picture of how deeply the closure affects programs across Worcester and surrounding communities, including behavioral health, children’s services, housing support, crisis response, substance use treatment and residential programs that have long served some of the region’s most vulnerable residents.
Community Healthlink, a longtime UMass Memorial Health affiliate, serves more than 22,000 people annually through mental health, substance use, homelessness and community-based behavioral health programs. Since April, city officials, employees and advocates have warned that dismantling the organization could leave gaps in a system already under significant strain.
The latest WARN notice identifies positions tied to numerous Worcester-based programs, including the Tenancy Preservation Project on Chandler Street, the Community Support Program, Worcester Housing and Supports, Geriatrics Services, Together for Kids, Beryl’s House, Safehavens, the Juvenile Court Clinic and other housing, residential and case management services. Additional layoffs affect programs in Leominster, Fitchburg, Webster and other communities.
While the WARN filing identifies positions scheduled to end, it does not necessarily mean services will disappear.
UMass Memorial Health has repeatedly said it is working with state agencies and community providers to transition programs to new operators as Community Healthlink moves toward closure. Organizations identified as potential operators include Behavioral Health Network, Clinical and Support Options, Central Massachusetts Housing Alliance, Open Sky Community Services, Eliot Community Human Services and Mentor South Bay.
UMass Memorial says nearly all Community Healthlink programs remain open and continue accepting referrals.
“Currently, we want to emphasize that almost all Community Healthlink programs are open and fully operational,” the health system states.
UMass also says that although employees must receive 60-day WARN notices before their positions end, “most of these programs will continue to operate and many impacted employees will likely find employment with the new operators.”
The growing layoff totals mark another chapter in a months-long restructuring that has drawn scrutiny from Worcester officials.
In April, the Worcester City Council unanimously called for immediate meetings with UMass Memorial Health, labor representatives and prospective providers after concerns emerged about the future of Community Healthlink.
Council Vice Chair Khrystian King said at the time that Worcester could not afford further losses in behavioral health capacity, pointing to previous reductions in addiction treatment services while urging providers to preserve both programs and the workforce needed to operate them.
Public Health and Human Services Committee Chair Gary Rosen questioned how Community Healthlink had reached the point of closure and called for direct conversations with UMass Memorial and organizations expected to assume its programs.
The uncertainty deepened in May when UMass Memorial confirmed to the Worcester Guardian that negotiations with Open Sky Community Services to take over several major Worcester programs—including the Community Behavioral Health Center, PACT 1 and 2, ACCS and STAR services—had ended without an agreement. Open Sky has since agreed to assume operation of Beryl’s House and the Orchard Street residential program after those sites close.
Since then, UMass Memorial has continued posting program-by-program updates as additional providers step forward to assume operations.
State law requires employers with 50 or more employees to provide at least 60 days’ notice before mass layoffs or closures under the federal WARN Act. The updated filing reflects projected employment impacts as Community Healthlink programs transition to new operators over the coming months.
Even as that transition continues, many of Worcester’s behavioral health services remain open, and UMass Memorial says continuity of care remains its highest priority.
Have a story tip, community concern, or insight to share? Email Editor Charlene Arsenault at carsenault@theworcesterguardian.org.
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