Charles River Community Health launches $5.2M expansion to meet high patient demand 

With nearly 10% of Waltham residents turning to Charles River Community Health for essential medical care, the health center is launching a major expansion at its Foundry Avenue location to meet the city’s growing healthcare needs. 

The project, expected to be completed by June 30, 2027, will increase the health center’s space from 12,000 to 17,000 square feet, expanding capacity in all departments and adding vision care to the center’s offerings. 

“Waltham is actually our single largest concentration of patients across any town or city we serve,” CRCH CEO Matthew Mullaney said. “In 2025 alone, we served 5,465 patients from Waltham’s three zip codes, roughly 10% of the city.”

Construction is scheduled to begin in November or December. Affinia Therapeutics occupied the new space until a few weeks ago.

Mullaney said the build-out will not only introduce vision care but also add six medical exam rooms (a 30% increase), three behavioral health rooms (doubling current capacity), two dental operatories (a 40% increase) and a new nursing station. 

“Our goal is to be one-stop shopping,” Mullaney said.

He estimates the new square footage will allow the health center to accommodate an additional 3,000 to 4,000 medical patients once fully operational. Currently, the center has wait lists in all departments and nonurgent appointment waits of over three weeks for established patients.

“We’re seeing some of our longest wait times for primary care right here in Waltham,” said Mullaney. “We have longer waiting lists for dental in Waltham. We have five dental operatories right now, and in Brighton we have 12.

“It turns out even though the health center was started here in the Allston/Brighton area, the center of gravity has really moved to Waltham,” Mullaney added. 

The health center opened in Waltham in 2004 after Waltham Hospital closed, and moved to its current location at 43 Foundry Ave. in 2018.  

The total cost for the Waltham expansion is estimated at $5.2 million. To fund the work, the health center is mounting a fundraising campaign targeting at least $3.5 million. 

CRCH, which also operates a site in Brighton, is the only federally qualified health center serving Waltham, Watertown, Brighton and Allston. In its two locations, the health center cares for more than 14,000 individuals. 

Serving medically underserved areas and populations, FQHCs are federally funded nonprofits statutorily required to provide primary care for everyone, regardless of ability to pay. 

CRCH is also an active member of the Community Care Alliance, maintaining affiliations with Beth Israel Lahey Health (including Mount Auburn Hospital and BIDMC) and Boston Children’s Hospital to coordinate affordable specialty and acute care.

Preparing for Medicaid Changes

The expansion comes as community health centers across Massachusetts brace for changes to federal Medicaid policies that could leave thousands of state residents without insurance coverage on Jan. 1, 2027. 

Mullaney said that while the expansion is not driven solely by the Medicaid changes, CRCH stands ready to help patients who currently have MassHealth coverage.

“We are opening this new space so we can better serve our community, from longtime residents to new arrivals, no matter what insurance they have or whether they need our help getting and keeping coverage as Medicaid policies shift in 2027,” he said. “We have a health benefit department and community health workers who are becoming more and more knowledgeable about some of the insurance changes.

“So the most important thing we’re doing is getting smart about what’s coming and how that’s going to work so that we could give people good advice,” Mullaney said. “Hopefully, make them feel more informed, calm and less worried about their insurance.”

Serving the Diverse Community

Mullaney said CRCH staff work directly with uninsured patients to help them enroll in coverage or access care.

“We’re actually one of the places in the commonwealth where you can have Health Safety Net and get care. You can’t just go anywhere with that type of insurance,” he said, adding that the center also sees patients with other types of insurance including Medicare and commercial plans. 

CRHC’s demographic reflects Waltham’s diversity. Mullaney said most current patients are first-, second- and third-generation immigrants, with two-thirds identifying as Latino. Most patients receive healthcare services in languages other than English. According to CRHC’s 2025 annual report, 98% of patients live at or below 200% of the federal poverty level of $64,300/year for a family of four. 

“In my opinion, we work really hard to be a welcoming place for people from all backgrounds,” Mullaney said when asked what sets CRHC apart from other community health centers. “It’s a place where people feel welcome and not judged.” 

CRCH will discuss the expansion at its fall breakfast on Sept. 29 at Gore Place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. The guest speaker is Beth Israel Lahey Health Chief Community and Health Impact Officer Juan Fernando Lopera, who will talk about his experience as an immigrant, a patient and a health system leader.  

Tickets are $25, and you can register online through the health center’s website.