2014 Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program receives HHS funding and has Federal PHS deemed status with respect to certain health or health-related claims, including medical malpractice claims, for itself and its covered individuals.
BHCHP becomes a federally qualified health center (FQHC) after the passage of the McKinney Act and receives funding from the Human Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)'s Bureau of Primary Health.
BHCHP's collaboration with many area schools of medicine in the training of interns and residents is already a regular aspect of life at BHCHP and will evolve to include collaboration with all the area hospitals, schools of medicine and schools of nursing over the next few years.
BHCHP publishes The Manual of Common Communicable Diseases in Shelters, the first manual of communicable diseases and common problems among homeless persons for medical professionals, shelter staff and guests.
The Barbara McInnis House opens for medical respite care, the first facility of its kind in the country, providing effective, dignified, around the clock respite care for patients too sick for shelter or the streets but not sick enough to occupy an acute care bed in one of Bostons hospitals.
The country's first-ever Consumer Advisory Board (CAB) is formed at BHCHP. This group is made up of homeless or formerly homeless men and women and meets monthly to develop BHCHP's advocacy agenda and to provide feedback to help shape programs and policies.
BHCHP implements the nation's first electronic medical record (EMR) for a homeless program to better coordinate care across hospital and shelter clinics. This is done in collaboration with the Laboratory of Computer Science at Massachusetts General Hospital.
2004 BHCHP launches a Volunteer Services Program. Volunteers can now offer their help in fulfilling the mission of BHCHP while they expand their understanding of the causes and effects of homelessness.
Program-wide integration of primary care with behavioral health is realized when full-time psychiatrists and social workers are implemented in two BHCHP teams in a pilot program with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH) funded by MGH.
BHCHP's Emergency Preparedness Team leads on-going medical response to H1N1 pandemic by educating all the city's shelter directors as well as in-house staff and patients in how to effectively handle this health crisis.
BHCHP begins meeting with the Emergency Departments (ED) of our four major hospital partners: Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Womens Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center to intervene in the cycle of utilization and hospitalization of our patients who use EDs the most frequently.
BHCHP's BMC Clinic is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) as an official Patient-Centered Medical Home. This model of care is grounded in a team-based, multidisciplinary approach that identifies patients with enhanced care needs and focuses on care coordination and quality.
BHCHP receives the American Academy of Physician Assistants Caring for Communities award. This award recognizes and supports the work of PAs and PA students who make a difference in the lives of people struggling with a variety of health and social issues.
In response to longer shelter and motel stays for homeless families, BHCHPs Family Team establishes primary care clinics at Crittenton Womens Union and St. Marys Center for Women & Children. These new clinics allow more long-term care that includes immunizations, some diagnostic testing, developmental screening for children, parent education, oral health screenings, and smoking cessation.
BHCHP launches its own chapter of Back on My Feet, a national organization helping homeless people transform their lives through running. Staff and volunteers meet patients 3 days each week to run or walk with them.
The bridge to Long Island closes and more than 700 homeless men and women are displaced from shelters and treatment programs. In response, BHCHP shelters 45 women in its JYP Atrium every night from October through June and establishes a temporary clinic at the South End Fitness Center until the city's new shelter is open.
As part of its response to the Long Island Bridge closure and one of the coldest, snowiest winters in history, BHCHP funds the re-opening of the Night Center, a drop-in center for homeless men and women...
As part of its response to the Long Island Bridge closure and one of the coldest, snowiest winters in history, BHCHP funds the re-opening of the Night Center, a drop-in center for homeless men and women. There were no deaths of homeless persons due to hypothermia or exposure that winter.
