Story & Photos by Marianne Salza
Beacon Hill Woman’s Forum (BHWF) hosted Psychiatrist, Dr. Eileen Reilly as guest speaker. Dr. Reilly has been passionate about caring for Boston’s homeless population since she was 21-years-old and her parish was seeking homeless shelter volunteers. The shy college student was assigned to help those in need at the Pine Street Inn, where she observed 300 homeless men, many of whom intoxicated or mentally ill, with one person sleeping in a fireplace.
“That opened my eyes to people’s experience being homeless,” said Dr. Reilly, who noticed the difficulty of recruiting nurses to manage the night clinic. “I was a volunteer; and then became a full-time worker there. In 1982, they opened a women’s unit. Up until then, there was no place except Rosie’s Place for women to go. Because it was crowded, they had a two-week limit. People would have to leave for a month, and then come back. But Pine Street was open to everybody. That was exciting.”
Now Dr. Reilly works for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, concentrating on homeless individuals suffering from mental illnesses. She is also a psychiatrist for the daytime Street Team outreach group of the Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP), which has been providing healthcare for people living on the street since 1985.
“Health Care for the Homeless helps approximately 11,000 patients a year at over 30 locations. Every major shelter in Boston has Health Care for the Homeless physicians and nurse practitioners working at them,” explained Dr. Reilly. “For a long time, psychiatrists would wait in their office for homeless people to come. Homeless people never came. It was clear that we need to go to the people.”
Much of Dr. Reilly’s work is engaging with the homeless who often lack company, have no forms of identification, require medical care, and need assistance applying for housing. During her November 12 presentation for the Beacon Hill Women’s Forum (BHWF) at the Hampshire House, Dr. Reilly shared the challenges of convincing homeless individuals to accept medical help.
“One of the reasons we are on the street is to get to know people and build relationships so they can trust us and come in for psychiatric, substance-use, or medical care,” said Dr. Reilly.
Doctor Reilly remembered a particular woman living in South Station. She believed that she was married to Michael Jackson. Holding onto the delusion that she was pregnant with his triplets, the woman was waiting on a bench for Jackson to pick her up and whisk her away to Los Angeles, where they could live in a mansion as a family.
For weeks, Dr. Reilly’s team would inquire if there was anything that could be done for her; but the woman held firmly to the umbrella concealing her until she was offered lunch: two hamburgers, two French fries, and two Coca-Colas. She finally received the psychological and housing care she needed, and became a charming conversationalist.
Doctor Reilly and her team tried outreaching to a man suffering from schizophrenia for ten years. He was experiencing paranoia, and spent a lot of time speaking to the voices in his head. Draped in tattered clothes, the man was depressed and would never talk with the Street Team; but he would accept a Dunkin Donuts gift card. Eventually, he was hospitalized and joined a group home. Now, with help from Dr. Reilly, the man has reconnected with his family and has relationships with his sisters.
“The issue with mental illness is people don’t understand they have mental illness. It’s not that they’re in denial or stubborn,” acknowledged Dr. Reilly. “A lot of folks with mental illness – and a lot of people you see on the street screaming at voices – just don’t understand that going to a psychiatrist might be helpful for them.”
Doctor Reilly also became a founding member of the Women’s Lunch Place when she was 26-years-old and noticed that there was no facility for women to seek refuge during the day. She remembered the heartache of seeing women dawdling on the sidewalk. Many were mentally ill, and would be talking to the voices in their heads as they waited for Pine Street Inn to open.
“It’s a hospitable place where people feel comfortable – especially people with mental illness,” assured Dr. Reilly about the day shelter for women, which has been providing meals, hygienic essentials, advocacy services, free medical care, and opportunities for personal growth since 1982.
Doctor Reilly encouraged BHWF members to call the Pine Street Inn and leave a voicemail for the outreach team if they are concerned about the wellbeing of a homeless man or woman; especially in the cold weather. Include a description of where the person is located.
“The reason I stay hopeful is because I’ve seen so many people who have been outside for years, and finally get treated and accept housing,” said Dr. Reilly. “They don’t ever say ‘I want to go back to the street.’ They’re content to have a bed to sleep in.”