In partnership with Augustana College and the William F. Freistat Center, St. Paul is delighted to welcome Dr. Jim O’Connell, M.D. to speak on Sunday, April 21, 4 p.m. in the St. Paul Sanctuary. Dr. O’Connell, a Harvard-educated physician, has devoted 40 years of his life to serving Boston’s homeless population.

Dr. Jim was about to finish his residency. He had just received a prestigious fellowship in oncology at Sloan Kettering in New York until he was approached to create and maintain a program to bridge the gap between medical treatment and Boston’s homeless population. Led by the practical guidance of the dedicated nurses at Pine Street Inn, Boston’s largest homeless shelter, Dr. O’Connell developed a different approach to engaging with those who would become his patients, one that was outside of the typical doctor’s approach.

Last year, Pulitzer-prize-winning author Tracy Kidder chronicled the unparalleled work of Dr. O’Connell and his mobile outreach clinic in his book Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People.

Dr. O’Connell will share his experiences and stories with St. Paul and the Quad Cities community. The event is free and open to the public.

See the flyer on the kiosk for additional information.