Jim O'Connell began fulltime clinical work with homeless individuals in 1985 as the founding physician of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which now serves over 11,000 homeless persons annually in two hospital-based clinics and over 30 shelters and outreach sites in Boston. With colleagues, O’Connell established the nation’s first medical respite program for homeless persons, providing acute and sub-acute, pre- and post-operative, and palliative and end-of-life care in the 104-bed Barbara McInnis House. He is editor of The Health Care of Homeless Persons: A Manual of Communicable Diseases and Common Problems in Shelters and on the Streets. He has been featured on ABC’s “Nightline” and in several documentaries. His 2015 Stories from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor was published in celebration of BHCHP’s 30th anniversary.
Previously
In his new book, Rough Sleepers, author Tracy Kidder tells the remarkable story of Dr. Jim O’Connell, a Boston physician who has dedicated his life to providing healthcare to...
