Barbara McInnis House

ADDRESS: 461 Walnut Avenue,  Jamaica Plain  MA  02130
PHONE: (617) 488-1700
FAX: (617) 414-7776
E-MAIL: info@bhchp.org
WEBSITE: http://www.bhchp.org/programs/respite_mcinnis.html

DESCRIPTION: The Barbara McInnis House is part of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP). It offers medical recuperative care for medically ill homeless adults who are too sick for the rigors of the streets and shelters, but not in need of tertiary care. The Barbara McInnis House takes primarily male patients.

In 1996, there were 900 admissions for medical recuperative care with an average length of stay of 21 days. Interdisciplinary teams of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, mental health and substance abuse counselors, and case workers are at the core of the service delivery model.

BHCHP has an amalgam of medical and public health models to create networks for homeless persons. Lemuel Shattuck Hospital makes primary care available five days a week (by appointment or walk-in).

Patients are referred to the Barbara McInnis House by area shelters, hospitals, and emergency rooms.

Admission is 24-hours a day. The Barbara McInnis House is also a community clinical practice site for medical students from across the nation. It contracts with the Shattuck for on-site physical therapy.

Case managers work to discharge patients to a safe alternative other than shelters or streets (such as half-way homes, rest homes, friends, and family). They also ensure that the appropriate community services are in place.