Barbara McInnis

The nurses originally worked in the emergency room at Boston City Hospital, but were invited by Pine Street's director at the time to come visit the shelter.

Upon visiting, the nurses developed an awareness of how desperately the guests staying there needed medical treatment, and the immense barriers to health care they faced.

McInnis mentored Dr. Jim O’Connell and "retrained him" to slow down, respect patients' dignity, be consistent, address people by name, offer care and hope, and never judge.

[8][11][12] O'Connell commented on McInnis's mentorship in Harvard Magazine saying,[9] “What Barbara and the nurses taught me early on is that you have to find ways to break in.

She studied the impact of tuberculosis on homeless people in congregate settings, and utilized these findings to contribute to research on the treatment of the disease.

McInnis and O'Connell reported this data to the Massachusetts State House, which led to the legislature's public health committee financing the van year round.

[2][17] In 1990, McGinnis and other advocates spoke at the conference, “Homeless Elders: Prevention and Intervention” at Boston University’s George Sherman Union.

[2][22][23][24] In 1997, McInnis and her fellow nurses were honored by former United States Secretary of Health and Human Services Donna Shalala for their commitment to outreach and preventive care for homeless people.

[25] McInnis's contributions are documented in the books, Rough Sleepers by Tracy Kidder, Stories From the Shadows by James J. O'Connell, and Health Care of Homeless People by Philip W.

"[17] In Rough Sleepers, Larry Adams, a formerly-homeless member of BHCHP's consumer advisory board, credits McInnis with preventing him from committing suicide.