Dr. Roseanna Means, the founder and president of Health Care Without Walls, left the organization at the end of December, 2021, after 22 years of dedicated service. In a letter on its web site, she wrote:
“It is with a mixture of sadness and joy that I will be leaving… I will continue to help vulnerable women at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. But I need to step back, reduce my working hours, and give more of my time to my family.”
Dr. Means described her journey this way:
“In the beginning it was an idea born from passion and love. Now, 22 years later, it is a real entity. The concept of a health care delivery system that mindfully and purposefully closes gaps in health care for vulnerable women is one that resonates with the public and the policy makers.”
Mary E. Grant, MS, RN, will act as Interim Chief Executive Officer, and Jessica Peters, MD, will serve as Interim Chief Medical Officer. Ms. Grant has served on the board of directors for four year. Dr. Peters has been the Associate Medical Director since January 2017, after volunteering with the organization in 2016.
Dr. Means will continue her work as an attending physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an associate professor at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Means established the organization in 1999 as “Women of Means” to provide medical care for homeless and vulnerable women and children in Boston, with a team of volunteer medical professionals. They provide care in a number of homeless shelters and walk-in spaces, meeting the homeless where they are.
In the midst of the pandemic, in 2021, Health Care Without Walls opened its first “brick and mortar” clinic, a long-held dream of Dr. Means.
Dr. Means was recently featured in a video and article by The Story Exchange that nicely summarized her journey and achievements.
One of the first articles on Angels in Medicine highlighted her work with the homeless, which can be read here.
Related Links
The Story Exchange: A Boston Doctor Opens a Clinic to Help the Pandemic’s Most Vulnerable Homeless Women
Angels in Medicine: Making a Home for Homeless Women