Tania Barber Honored by Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers

SPRINGFIELD — Caring Health Center (CHC) of Springfield announced that its president and CEO, Tania Barber, received the prestigious Outstanding Massachusetts Community Health Center Executive Director/CEO Award presented by the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers. This honor was bestowed to her during the league’s virtual award gala on June 25.

“At a time in which limits were pushed and new ways to serve were required, it was clear from the start that Caring Health Center patients were in the right hands,” the league noted. “Both this year’s awardees and our entire health-center community did what they always do: show up for the most vulnerable.”

Barber leads Caring Health Center, the only federally funded (Section 330) institution in the Greater Springfield area. The center provides a wide range of essential health services to patients regardless of ability to pay. Caring Health Center is one of the most culturally diverse organizations in the area and offers translation services in 39 different languages at three locations throughout the city. The center employs a staff of more than 250 and serves close to 20,000 patients annually.

A commitment to excellence and growth underscores Barber’s tenure with CHC. She is a strong advocate for a better healthcare system and believes in the importance of providing patients with an integrated and comprehensive approach to healthcare. She transformed CHC by adding new programs and services such as behavioral health, a wellness center, an on-site pharmacy, dental services, urgent care, and a recovery program for people with substance disorders. And in response to the pandemic, CHC opened a new vaccine clinic on Sumner Avenue to make access to the COVID-19 vaccine easier for members of underserved communities.

“I am truly thankful to the Mass League and the team who selected me to receive this award,” Barber said. “This is a tremendous honor, and I humbly accept this award on behalf of the entire Caring Health Center staff. It’s impossible for me to do what I do without them; they are the ones that make things happen here at Caring Health Center.”