SPOKANE, Wash. —Dr. Jim O’Connell, president of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, will give two virtual presentations on Wednesday, March 31, as part of WSU Health Sciences Spokane’s Robert F.E. Stier Lecture in Medicine.
O’Connell will virtually present Medicine in the Streets: A team-based approach to caring for Boston’s Rough Sleepers, live on YouTube at noon on March 31. O’Connell will:
- Detail a model of street medicine that is integrated into the community as well as the hospital;
- Share the experiences of a team-based model for the delivery of integrated medical and psychiatric care directly on the streets;
- Review the morbidity and mortality of those individuals who sleep on Boston’s streets; and
- Identify the importance of incorporating patient feedback into a community-based health care model, including the implementation of a Consumer Advisory Board.
O’Connell will also present Rethinking Homelessness, Health and Housing: A View From the Streets, live on YouTube at 4 p.m. on March 31, where he will:
- Describe the evolution of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program model;
- Review the myriad challenges facing housing and health care systems in attempting to end the societal scourge of homelessness;
- Describe the burden of medical and behavioral health issues borne by rough sleepers; and
- Identify the importance of incorporating patient feedback into a community-based health care model, including the implementation of a Consumer Advisory Board
While both events are live on YouTube and open to anybody with access, the public can RSVP to receive a reminder as the presentation date approaches.
The Robert F.E. Stier Lecture in Medicine began in 1996 and features key leaders in medicine whose work tackles challenging issues. The lecture is the result of an endowment established by Alton R. Stier, MD, and Robert A. (Bud) Stier, MD, in honor of their father. Robert F. E. Stier was the co-founder of HollisterStier, a division of Jubilant Pharma, headquartered in Spokane.
Media contact:
- Kevin Dudley, WSU Health Sciences Spokane, 509-993-1563, kevin_dudley@wsu.edu
