Deborah Smith Walsh Recuperative Care Center: Medical Respite

The Deborah Smith Walsh Recuperative Care Center (“RCC”) provides short-term, residential care to people who are homeless and sick, but not sick enough to be in a hospital.

This program provides guests with much-needed care at a critical time in their rehabilitation, and an alternative to trying to recuperate on the streets. The Center staff will identify clients who are unconnected to care and have a history of multiple emergency department visits. By coordinating medical care, short-term residential care, and other services, the RCC provides a vital service to support medically and psychiatrically complex homeless adults.

Mission: To provide short term medical respite care and coordination of services to medically complex and housing insecure adults in the Lynn area.

Vision: RCC Staff are dedicated to judgement-free care, addressing barriers to wellness and providing the highest quality health care to our city’s most resilient population.

For more Information, call: 781-691-9486

Learn about Deborah Smith Walsh

RCC offers walk-in services including:

Shower
Clinical Care
Case Management
Toiletries

Click to view our “Menu” of services!

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Looking to refer to the Deborah Smith Walsh Recuperative Care Center?

Are you a health care facility and/or a social service agency?

Complete our online referral form below or download the pdf to print out.

Required

Download this Referral Form

Hear from our Recuperative Care Center staff

Safe to Heal: Recuperative Care Center

Hear from past patients of the Recuperative Care Center

RCC Video - two clients

Recuperative Care Center FAQ’s

What is the RCC?

The RCC is a medical respite facility. We provide short term medical and recuperative care services to men and women in the Lynn area who do not require hospital level of care but are too sick to tolerate the stress of life in shelters or on the street. The RCC program uses an integrated care model with community members.

What services are offered at the RCC?

Guests that are staying at the RCC will be seen by a team that includes medical providers and case managers. Guests will be seen by a medical provider each day and assigned a case manager. There is 24/7 staff coverage. There are also behavioral services, support groups, health education, discharge planning, benefits management, and housing case management. Guests are provided all meals.

Does the RCC accept guests that are on methadone?

If a guest is taking methadone for a substance use disorder, he/she must be enrolled in a methadone treatment program in which they are able to set up transportation to and from the treatment program. We require the confirmation form and a last dose letter be completed by the referring agency for all guests on MAT.

What are the main criteria for patients to receive care at the RCC?

A guest must have an acute medical problem and be medically and psychiatrically stable to be managed in a group setting. Guests must need short term care and be independent with ADL’s. Guest must be able to ambulate independently (may use adaptive equipment). Guests must have a tie to the Lynn area.

Can the RCC accept a patient on IV antibiotics?

The RCC program does not have medical staff on site 24/7 and therefore we are unable to accept guests on IV medications.

What is the referral process like?

Guests are admitted Monday-Friday between 9am-2pm from hospitals, shelters, and clinics. Guests cannot self-refer.
If you are making a referral from either a medical or non-medical site, please complete the referral form along with the two way release of information
The RCC program team will review the referral Monday -Friday and determine if guest is eligible for RCC services
An acceptance or denial form will be sent to referring party

Collaborating Organizations:

Lynn Community Health Center
Lynn Continuum of Care
Lifebridge
Lynn Health Task Force
Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless
Mass General Brigham
My Brother’s Table

The RCC is operated in proud partnership with Lifebridge.

The RCC’s clinical team, the “Medical Outreach Program,” provides compassionate and persistent mobile health care services to people experiencing homelessness.

The RCC’s Street Outreach program “goes to the people”! We work closely with organizations like My Brother’s Table to identify and support those who need our services. Our team holds clinic hours at My Brother’s Table.

Mobile Outreach Program Van

“To be truly alive is to work for the common good”

—Sister Corita Kent

Deborah Smith Walsh was an avid and early supporter of the Lynn Community Health Center. A Lynn native, Debbie joined the Health Center’s Board of Directors in 1977 and served for several terms, including as Board President. Upon leaving the LCHC Board, she continued to serve as needed on key committees, continuing to lend her knowledge and support. In 2004, after a long career in public service as a School Committee member and City Councilor in Lynn, Debbie joined the staff of the Health Center as our Community Liaison and continued working until just a few weeks before her death in March 2020.

Debbie loved her job and her coworkers—she was someone who got to know everyone in the building, from the CEO to the custodial staff. She lived the mission of the Health Center and was a skilled ambassador to the Lynn community. Known as a go-to person for getting things done, she was especially proud of her work to expand the school-based health centers in Lynn’s public schools and negotiating with the city to secure the land on which to build the new building. She was involved in almost every project that happened at LCHC during her time here. Whether it was Zumba in Central Square and a volleyball game at the Lynn Museum to celebrate National Health Center Week; the Women’s Breakfast; Employee Appreciation cookouts; walking club with coworkers; health fairs; or Baby’s First Christmas, just to name a few, Debbie was there, helping. She truly embraced and understood the “community” part of our name.

Another Health Center project that that was close to Debbie’s heart was the Recuperative Care Center. She worked for many years to see it evolve from an idea into a reality. Debbie dedicated her life in public service and public health to representing the people who need and find care at places like the Recuperative Care Center. In honor of Debbie’s memory and her dedication to this project, it is our privilege to name this program the Deborah Smith Walsh Recuperative Care Center.

Deborah Smith Walsh

You can request medical and behavioral health appointments in MyChart!

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