The Health Care of Homeless Persons XIII

Boston mourns the loss of a beloved and irreplaceable treasure. Barbara McInnis, RN, died late last summer from complications of minor surgery to repair a leg fractured when she was hit by an inebriated driver. We have been

struggling to fi nd our equilibrium ever since.

Dedication toBarbara M. McInnis, RN

Dedication Ceremony, Barbara McInnis House, 1993. Barbara (left) beams with her family upon fulfi lling her longtime dream of a safe place for sick homeless persons to heal.Photo by James O’Connell MD

Barbara is the only true saint I ever met: funny, loving, brilliant, frumpy, gentle, irascible, wise, humble, stubborn, unpredictable, and always (as we used to marvel while watching Miami Vice every Friday night after clinic) dynamically present to the Cosmic Unfolding. She was always herself, whether talking with dignitaries such as Mother Theresa, comforting those suffering under a bridge or down a dark alley, or regaling us with stories at Doyle’s Pub. Long the soul of Boston’s inner city, Barbara was known and trusted by every homeless person and had earned the respect of the local and national health care community.

Several years ago while visiting friends in England, I stumbled upon Theodore Zeldin’s book, An Intimate History of Humanity. Unbeknownst to me, the author had made a journey to America to

seek examples of men and women who had changed the world around them. I was stunned that he had discovered Barbara in the inner city of Boston, and I could only marvel at the words she used to defl ect his praise: “I make no plans. I have no dream of a different society. I never think about that. I’m busy surviving, like the guests. I am intuitive…we are overwhelmed.” She worked quietly and exhaus-tively, helping those most in need, never seeking offi ce or honor or position.

Our lives have been enriched and transformed by her presence. Barbara has been mentor, muse, friend, and conscience since the day our program began almost two decades ago. Emblazoned in my memory is the fi rst night I arrived at Pine Street Inn in the summer of 1985, when a group of nurses offered a stern welcome and then read me the riot

XIV The Health Care of Homeless PersonsXIV The Health Care of Homeless PersonsXIV

act. Nurses had been caring for homeless persons for almost 15 years without help of hospitals or doctors, and with time and patience I might learn the art necessary to match my newly acquired clinical skills. I was dumbfounded, but watched and learned as Barbara’s apprentice. It was perhaps the best thing that ever happened to me.

Barbara drilled us on the basics incessantly and relentlessly. The core of the healing art is the personal relationship. Doctors need to leave the traditional clinics and venture out to join the nurses in places familiar to persons living in shelters and on the streets. Seek every opportunity to share food or coffee, be present in the lives of others, and listen to their stories. Offer care and relieve suffering, but never judge. We are not in the business of changing people, she would chide us, but rather in gently offering hope and options. From our very beginning, Barbara’s wisdom and compassion

have permeated the mission and guided the development of the Boston Health Care for the Home-less Program. I was never as proud as the day we opened

the Barbara McInnis House in 1993, our 92-bed medical respite that fulfi lled Barbara’s dream of a refuge for homeless persons suffering from medical illnesses and injuries.

The death of Barbara McInnis is still too fresh to comprehend. She lived life in abundance and called out the very best in each one of us. We have been blessed by her presence and enjoined by her to embrace the care of those forgotten and ignored. Maybe her skepticism that society will never change is correct, but our lives have been forever transformed by her generosity and her mercy. Peace to you, Barbara.

- JJO’C Boston, June 2004

(top)Barbara and friends

at the Second International

Gathering of Respite Care Providers in

Boston, December, 2001.

Photo by James O’Connell MD

(bottom left)Barbara enjoying

the Blues at Slade’s Lounge in Roxbury.

Photo byJames O’Connell MD

(bottom right)Barbara McInnis

House, 10th Anniversary,

2003. Barbara with

Barry Bock RN, and Jim O’Connell MD, celebrate 10 years

of respite care in Boston.

Photo by John Romano MD