MGH Institute of Health Professions Celebrates Community Partners

Above photos (L-R): Jason Gallagher, principal of Harvard-Kent Elementary School; Josh Kraft, President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston; Turahn Dorsey, chief of education for Boston.

Celebrating the partnerships between MGH Institute of Health Professions and its neighbors in and around Charlestown was the theme of the graduate school’s Celebration of Community.

Held October 18 at the newly renovated One Constitution Wharf in the Charlestown Navy Yard adjacent to the MGH Institute’s campus, the event drew close to 200 people who work for the more than 60 non-profits, public schools, health care facilities, and other organizations that partner and collaborate with the graduate school.

Monies raised will go towards increasing the $5.7 million in scholarships the Institute provides to many of its 1,600 students, who accumulate a significant amount of undergraduate and graduate school debt by the time they earn their degree. Master of Science in Nursing student Sheena Wood, who is scheduled to graduate in 2021, applied to the IHP last year without knowing how she would pay for school. Not only was she admitted, but was awarded a Charles and Ann Sanders Interprofessional Scholarship to help defray the costs.

“I was overjoyed when I received the scholarship, not only by the honor of support from the Sanders family but because I knew that I could pursue my dreams and privilege of becoming the best nurse I can be,” Wood told the audience.

Several speakers talked about the partnerships the Institute has developed over the years. Josh Kraft, CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, applauded the school’s students for bringing health care solutions to children. “We certainly don’t have all the answers, but it’s partnerships like the MGH Institute has with the community that can make things better,” he said.

Turahn Dorsey, chief of education for Boston, noted how Mayor Martin Walsh is appreciative of the Institute’s efforts that include students providing health care, volunteering, and assisting children in schools throughout the city.

One of those schools is Harvard-Kent Elementary School, where Charlestown native Jason Gallagher is principal in his home town. The Institute and the public school earlier this year formed an official partnership that has strengthened a decades-long collaboration. After years of speech-language pathology students helping the elementary students with reading during clinical rotations, the relationship has quickly grown to include clinicals for occupational therapy and nursing students, with plans to add physical therapy in the coming months.

“This partnership with the Institute makes not only Harvard-Kent stronger and leads to better student outcomes, but improves the whole Charlestown community,” Gallagher said.

The event’s platinum sponsor was Massachusetts General Hospital. Gold sponsors were Davis Marcus Partners, McCall & Almy, Inc., Putnam Investments, and Wise Construction Corporation.
Sterling sponsors were Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc., Peter and Pamela D’Arrigo, Eversource Energy Foundation, Fulton Properties, LLC, Trish and Mark Joyce, Mr. and Mrs. John H. Knowles, Jr., Massachusetts General Physicians Organization, MGH Nurses’ Alumnae Association, Inc., Dr. Paula Milone-Nuzzo, National Development & Charles River Realty Investors, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital • Spaulding Rehab Pet Therapy.

List of MGH Institute's Community Partners

Charlestown: Alexandria Real Estate • BCYF Charlestown Community Center • Boston Housing Authority @ Ferrin Street • Boston National Historic Park @ Charlestown Navy Yard • Boys and Girls Club of Charlestown • Bunker Hill Community College • Center for Medical Simulation • Charlestown Mother’s Association • Charlestown Neighborhood Council • Charlestown Public Library • Charlestown YMCA • Courageous Sailing • Dennis McLaughlin House • First Church in Charlestown • Friends of the Charlestown Navy Yard • Friends of City Square Park • Fulton Properties, LLC • Golden Age Center • Harborview at the Navy Yard • Harvard-Kent Elementary School • Harvest on Vine Food Pantry • HomeBase • John F. Kennedy Family Service Center • MGH Captain’s Quarters Daycare • MGH Charlestown HealthCare Center • MGH Children’s Quarters Daycare • National Development & Charles River Realty Investors • Ronald McDonald House at Boston Harbor • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital – Charlestown • Special Townies • St. John’s Episcopal Church • St. Mary-St. Catherine of Siena Parish • USS Constitution Museum • Zelma Lacey House

Greater Boston: AccesSportAmerica • Amy Lowell House • Boston Children’s School • Boston Food Forest Coalition • Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program • Boston Rescue Mission • Brigham and Women’s Hospital • Center Club Boston • Community Resources for Justice • Community Servings • Crimson Care Collaborative with Harvard Medical School • Eliot School • Esplanade • Good Shepherd School • Hearth at Ruggles • Home for Little Wanderers • Horizons for Homeless Children • Kroc Corps Community Center • Mario Umana Academy • Massachusetts General Hospital • Massachusetts General Physicians Organization • MGH Nurses’ Alumnae Association • More than Words Boston • New England Aquarium • Old West Church • Project Place • Room to Grow • Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy • Rosie’s Place • Southwest Corridor Park • Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital – Brighton • Susan Bailis Assisted Living.