Primary Care in the Inner City with Dr. Gerald Hass

On September 21st, 2005, the Outreach Van Project had the special honor of hosting Dr. Gerald Hass in a special dinner and talk. The talk focused on “Primary Care in the Inner City” with special emphasis on the difficulties of finding medical care as low income patients, often lacking health insurance. Dr. Hass trained in internal medicine at London University in England. He then switched to pediatrics and completed his residency at Royal London Hospital and Great Ormond Street Children’s hospital. Dr. Hass visited Boston as a medical student and as a Research and Teaching fellow. In 1966 he was hired by Dr. Henry Bakst as Assistant Professor at Boston University Medical School and ran the Home Care Program. Two years later Dr. Hass became Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Chief of Pediatric Ambulatory Services at Boston City Hospital, (currently Boston Medical Center). This position allowed him to develop health care services for children in various health care communities. Working closely with Melvin Scovell and residents of the South End, a health center was conceived in 1968 and opened its doors in June 1969 as a pediatric clinic. Over the next few years this developed into the full service community owned and operated South End Community Health Center (SECHC). Currently Dr. Hass is the Physician in Chief of this community health center.

Dr. Hass aided by Tristam Blake, Chief Financial Officer, spoke of the history behind SECHC. Through anecdote we learned of a group of parents approached Dr. Hass describing their need to immunize their children for summer camp. Due to the lack of long-term care and preventative services available to this low-income community, the first attempt to address their needs was to set up immunizations in the basement of a church in the South End. This, and similar situations further advocated for the necessity to set up a clinic that provided more thorough health services. The clinic began in a children’s library and saw a community comprised of a socio-economically disadvantaged inner-city population with consequently the worst health care statistics in the city of Boston. Various state and local agencies provided funding for the initial bilingual staff, consisting of a nurse, receptionist and part-time physician. The clinic became incorporated as a free-standing, non-profit in order to qualify for Medicaid third-party payments, which were the first funds received. Funding was received from Boston’s Trustees of Health and Hospitals approximately a year later. Consequently, the inability to secure federal funding for the clinic was in effect, a hidden blessing because it allowed for SECHC to remain self-sufficient and financially independent. A twelve member community board became the incorporators, directors and owners, this allowed direct representation of local residents to best address the needs of the community.

In the spring of 2000, a 35,000 sq.ft. facility was opened on Washington street consolidating all services provided into one location. In addition, the new building contains market-rate housing and retail space which help finance the work of SECHC. The services currently provided are pediatrics, adult medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, women’s health, laboratory services, dentistry, eye clinic, mental health, and nutrition. Overall, Dr, Haas's talk was very well received, approximately 50 students attended some of which have since gone on to volunteer at the SECHC.