[14] Primary care clinics were held across these two facilities multiple days a week, with BHCHP staff visiting and supporting homeless patients in their treatment, discharge and follow-up.
Providers at the clinic noted that due to a lack of health care, patients were known previously to medicate themselves with drugs meant for the horses.
[18][19][16] In 1996, BHCHP became the first homeless organization in the United States to implement a computerized electronic medical record (EMR) system, which was designed and built by the Laboratory of Computer Science at Massachusetts General Hospital.
[20][21] In 2019, the organization announced a partnership with Netsmart to implement a new electronic medical record specifically designed for tracking and coordinating addiction treatment.
[31] Respite centers allow people who are homeless to recuperate and heal in a safe, clean place after major hospital treatments, rather than discharging them to the streets.
[37][38] The facility helps over 2,200 patients a year stay off the street and out of congregate settings while they recover from acute illnesses and medical procedures.
[39] In 2008, McInnis House expanded, moving from a former nursing home in Jamaica Plain to the Jean Yawkey Place clinic in the South End.
[42] The building is also home to Francis Grady Apartments, 30 studio units for formerly homeless men and women, along with onsite case management and behavioral health services.
The doctors quickly determined that their approach was intrusive based on feedback from patients so they began using food, survival supplies, humor, and patience to build rapport with the community.
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.
In response, BHCHP staggered staffing of its Massachusetts facilities, so that 41 of its providers could go to Haiti to treat patients medically impacted by the earthquake.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigated the outbreak and found close contact over a series of hours to be a risk factor.