BWH Division of Women's Health
Department of Medicine
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Our clinic receives referrals from BWH Obstetricians, Obstetric Social Workers, Nurses, Community Health Center Mid-wives, and others within the BWH community. Referred patients meet with Dr. Means at the Bridges to Moms Clinic and a detailed intake is done, emphasizing all areas of health, including social supports, housing status, food sources, personal safety, and other resources, which are documented for future tracking.
Bridges to Moms staff provide counseling, advocacy, and support for any safety issues; assistance connecting the women to ongoing primary care; and ongoing screening for peri-natal depression. The team also contracts with members of community agencies who work in the outpatient arena to address some of the gaps such as help filling out housing applications or applying for food stamps.
Bridges to Moms provides cab vouchers and Lyft rides to women to ensure attendance at OB clinic appointments and most importantly, to enable women to visit their babies in the NICU in-person to develop a strong maternal-child bond should they need it. Bridges to Moms also give patients tickets to the BWH cafeteria so that every time they visit the BWH, they can be sure to get a meal.
Dr. Means and her staff celebrate the births with the moms and their babies, and continue to provide emotional support, counseling, advocacy, housing search and support, government benefits assistance, and tangible baby items long after the babies’ deliveries, until the baby turns one year old. Bridges to Moms invests in helping the moms get/stay connected to primary care for themselves and their newborns. During the year following delivery, Bridges to Moms staff help the women work towards greater self-sufficiency by steering them to Workforce Development Training Programs, GED and ESL classes.
Dr. Roseanna Means, MD, MSc, has been a primary care physician at BWH since 1984. Over the years, her focus has been not only excellent clinical care for patients at BWH but also access to care for vulnerable and homeless persons in Boston. Dr. Means received her MD from Tufts University Medical School and her BS and MSc from MIT. She completed her internship and residency at BWH before joining the faculty. Dr. Means’ work has shown that addressing social determinants of health, improving collaborations in care coordination and filling-in care gaps can ultimately lower medical costs while also improving health outcomes.
Brigham Medical Specialties Clinic
75 Francis Street
Boston, MA 02115
Dr. Roseanna Means, Director
RMeans@bwh.harvard.edu
Bridges to Moms welcomes referrals for any patient with the following criteria:
New patient referrals should be sent directly to Dr Means.
Questions regarding referrals or about eligibility can be sent to: RMeans@bwh.harvard.edu
Bridges to Moms is also an opportunity for Harvard Medical students and BWH trainees to learn best practices on caring for patients experiencing homelessness, poverty, mental illness and trauma concurrently, and for appreciating the value of recognizing and incorporating social determinants of health in the holistic care of vulnerable populations.
The Bridges to Moms Program in the Division of Women’s Health works collaboratively with other disciplines to improve the health outcomes of vulnerable women and their babies: Obstetrics, Pediatrics/Newborn Medicine, Trauma-Informed Care, Social Work, Nursing, The Center for Community Health and Health Equity, and Food Services are all important voices contributing to improving the lives of these women.
Research Program of the Division of Women’s Health
Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
75 Francis Street, Boston MA 02115
