Rosie’s Place, Regis College and Mayor Martin J. Walsh celebrated the 25th anniversary of a groundbreaking partnership on September 19 to provide health care to poor, homeless and immigrant women, regardless of their status, at the Rosie’s Place Wellness Center.
“We’re proud of our long-standing relationship with Rosie’s Place, an organization that fits perfectly with our mission to serve all in need without distinction,” said Regis College President Antoinette Hays, PhD, RN. “Our nursing students are able to gain real-world experience while offering a valuable service to a vulnerable and diverse population.”
“The Wellness Center at Rosie's Place represents our best values of compassion, community and hope,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “Over the last 25 years it has grown from a great idea to a powerful force for good, serving over 4,600 people per year. I congratulate all partners involved for reaching this incredible milestone, marking 25 successful years of helping women endure and reclaim their lives. I send my best wishes for its continued success for many years into the future.”
The partnership started with one Regis nursing student and one faculty advisor serving women at the center in need of blood pressure and wellness-related screenings. The pair found space in the community center’s busy dining room to work. Today, nursing students and faculty from the university’s nationally recognized Young School of Nursing provide compassionate health care for an average of 4,600 guests each year in the Rosie’s Place Wellness Center.
“We are so grateful to have been able to offer our guests excellent wellness care under our roof for the past quarter century,” Rosie’s Place President / Executive Director Leemarie Mosca said. “Because of the generosity of Regis College, our guests are comforted, knowing they can see a caring clinician for a range of health care needs. We would not be able to offer this service without our partnership with Regis College.”
Because it does not accept city, state or federal funding, Rosie’s Place is under no obligation to share sensitive patient information with government agencies which makes it safe for all immigrant women to receive the care they need and deserve. Regis nursing faculty and students staff the center, offering critical screenings and direct care to women who may otherwise not have access to care. Boston Health Care for the Homeless and Health Care Without Walls also provide services at the center.
“Through Regis College, I was given the opportunity to work at Rosie’s Place and it’s really going to help me in my career as a nurse because I was able to enhance my assessment skills and build relationships to help me at the bedside,” said Salman Mirz, a Tyngsboro resident who graduated from the Regis Young School of Nursing in 2019.
About Rosie’s Place
More than four decades after its founding, Rosie’s Place not only provides meals and shelter but also creates answers for 12,000 poor and homeless women a year through wide-ranging support, housing and education services. Rosie’s Place relies solely on the generous support of individuals, foundations and corporations and does not accept any city, state or federal funding.