MBF Annual Meeting Held on June 7

Jun 23

At the MBF’s Annual Meeting on June 7, Dr. Jim O’Connell of Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program was honored with the Great Friend of Justice Award, Angela McConney Scheepers was elected President of the Foundation for the coming year, and Matt Selig of Health Law Advocates delivered the Grantee Address. Over 125 MBF Fellows, grantees and friends attended the event at the JFK Library.

The MBF’s Great Friend of Justice Award is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated extraordinary commitment to justice, consistent with the MBF’s values and mission. Dr. O’Connell’s life-long dedication to social justice exemplifies the spirit of this award.

Dr. O’Connell graduated summa cum laude from the University of Notre Dame in 1970 and received his master’s degree in theology from Cambridge University in 1972. After graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1982, he completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).

In 1985, Dr. O'Connell began fulltime clinical work with homeless individuals as the founding physician of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, which now serves over 13,000 homeless persons each year in two hospital-based clinics (Boston Medical Center and MGH) and in more than 60 shelters and outreach sites in Boston. With his colleagues, Dr. O’Connell established the nation’s first medical respite program for homeless persons in September 1985, with 25 beds in the Lemuel Shattuck Shelter. This innovative program now provides acute and sub-acute, pre-and post-operative, and palliative and end-of-life care in the freestanding 104-bed Barbara McInnis House.

Also at the event, the MBF honored nineteen lawyers and judges who recently completed their financial pledges to the MBF Society of Fellows and elections were held for the coming year. The MBF elected the following officers and trustees:

Officers