
1984
Boston receives funds for one of 19 homeless health care pilot programs that will be funded across the country by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJ) and the Pew Charitable Trust (PCT).

1985
BHCHP begins providing comprehensive primary care and dental services at 3 hospital clinics and 14 adult and family shelter clinics...
1985
BHCHP begins providing comprehensive primary care and dental services at 3 hospital clinics and 14 adult and family shelter clinics.
The Family Team of health care providers is created to focus on the special needs of homeless families living in shelters, hotels and motels.
The Nation's first medical respite program is opened by BHCHP with 5 beds at the Lemuel Shattuck Shelter. These will grow to 25 beds over the next few months.

1986
Street Team medical services begin with a physician on Pine Street Inn (PSI)'s overnight van.

1987
HIV Team is created by BHCHP. This is the first multidisciplinary, multicultural program in the country to offer primary and specialty care for homeless persons with HIV.

1988
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.

1990
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.

1991
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.

1992
Clinic at Suffolk Downs Thoroughbred Racetrack opens, the first in the nation serving the needs of more than 500 homeless and migrant backstretch workers who live at the track.

1993
The Barbara McInnis House opens for medical respite care, the first facility of its kind in the country, providing...
1993
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 Boston’s 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.

1994
The Street Team expands in response to the growing number of deaths on the streets, to include medical rounds on the street during the day and at Boston Night Center and on the PSI van at night...
1994
The Street Team expands in response to the growing number of deaths on the streets, to include medical rounds on the street during the day and at Boston Night Center and on the PSI van at night.
BHCHP begins offering behavioral health services to address a growing, unmet need. This service quickly becomes an indispensable aspect of the care provided at virtually every BHCHP site.

1996
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.

1998
Research Institute is created to support staff development and enhance capacity to explore broader trends in homeless health care.

1999
CAB Members join BHCHP Board of Directors.

2003
The Street Team integrates medical and behavioral health care with the addition of a part-time psychiatrist and licensed clinical social worker...
2003
The Street Team integrates medical and behavioral health care with the addition of a part-time psychiatrist and licensed clinical social worker.
BHCHP assumes responsibility for the primary care clinics at Pine Street Inn, Long Island Shelter and Woods-Mullen Shelter, three of Boston’s largest homeless shelters.

2004
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.

2006
BHCHP begins partnership with AmeriCorps/Community HealthCorps, a national service program for individuals dedicated to future careers in health care.

2007
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.

2008
Jean Yawkey Place opens following a successful $42M capital campaign, just in time to meet a sharp increase in homelessness. It houses integrated medical, behavioral health and dental clinics, a pharmacy and an expanded 104 bed Barbara McInnis House.

2009
Jean Yawkey Place meets the growing challenge in its first full year of operation...
2009
Jean Yawkey Place meets the growing challenge in its first full year of operation
- 35% more primary care patients
- 33% more dental patients
- 34% more behavioral health patients
- 7 % more admissions for respite care.
- 200% increase in the services provided at the pharmacy.
The BHCHP Transgender Clinic opens at Jean Yawkey Place in response to the lack of essential health care services for this extremely vulnerable homeless population.
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.

2010
BHCHP honors 25 years of Medicine that Matters...
2010
- BHCHP honors 25 years of Medicine that Matters
- 33 BHCHP doctors, nurses, physician assistants and nurse practitioners rotate in and out of Haiti for week-long stints to bring urgently needed care to injured earthquake patients
- Board of Directors creates Dennis Buff Bequest Society, honoring a legacy gift from a long-time patient after his passing and inspiring donors to consider including BHCHP in their estate planning

2011
BHCHP begins meeting with the Emergency Departments (ED) of our four major hospital partners: Boston Medical Center, Brigham and Women’s 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.

2012
Community Support Workers are hired to team up with primary care providers to deliver in home care to highly vulnerable, newly housed patients...
2012
- Community Support Workers are hired to team up with primary care providers to deliver in home care to highly vulnerable, newly housed patients. The innovative home care team reaches out to patients experiencing crises related to medical, social, behavioral health and substance use disorders that may otherwise endanger their tenancy and result in a return to homelessness.
- A specialized and comprehensive system of end-of-life care is developed at the Barbara McInnis House. A multi-disciplinary team—made up of physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and aides—have been trained in palliative care and now offer guidance to other McInnis House staff on issues arising with their dying patients
- Barbara McInnis House enhances its services to address substance use disorders with the addition of specialized counselors and twice daily support groups.

2013
BHCHP's BMC Clinic is recognized by the National Committee for Quality Assurance...
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.
CEO, Bob Taube, retires and long-time BHCHP staff member, Barry Bock, takes the helm.

2014
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...
2014
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, BHCHP’s Family Team establishes primary care clinics at Crittenton Women’s Union and St. Mary’s 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.

2015
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...
2015
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.
A partnership with Bridge Over Troubled Waters is formed and health care services are provided to homeless youth in Boston through a nurse practitioner and health educator from BHCHP.
Stories from the Shadows: Reflections of a Street Doctor by Dr. Jim O’Connell is published.
BHCHP recognizes its 30th anniversary of providing medicine that matters to greater Boston’s men, women, and children who are homeless.