About Us

The Health Center also serves young people who have STDs, or for other reasons want confidentiality in their health care, and persons who have been unable to accept or gain acceptance in traditional health care settings. The Borum Health Center is affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as an important component of Community Care Alliance, and with Boston Children's Hospital. It is licensed as a health center, mental health clinic, and substance abuse center by the Department of Public Health.

 

Providers

Greg Fenton, MD graduated from the Chicago Medical School and is trained in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases. Greg has been a doctor at Sidney Borum since 1997. He is interested in the primary care of adolescents and young adults, particularly those who are most marginalized and disenfranchised. Greg has a special interest in HIV care.

Rebecca Henderson, LICSW comes to the Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center after working in a supportive housing program for formerly homeless adults living with HIV and struggling with substance use. Her interests include substance abuse counseling and working with people living with HIV. She believes humor is a crucial part of any therapeutic relationship. She has worked in homeless shelters, permanent housing, in-patient treatment programs and the VA. She received her MSW from Boston University School of Social Work.

Karla Hoxha Brown, NP is a board certified family nurse practitioner at the Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center. She has been working at the health center since 2003. She received her bachelor of science in nursing degree from UMass and her graduate degree from Regis College. Some of the hospitals she was trained at include Brigham and Women’s Hospital, New England Medical Center, and the Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital at the Needham campus. She has experience in family medicine, gynecologic health, pediatric medicine and LGBT health. Her clinical interests include women’s health and HIV care.

Erwin Ilano, MD, brings extensive experience in pediatric psychiatry to the Borum.  He has worked at Fenway Health since 1998 and practiced at the Lowell Youth Treatment Center from 1998 to 2004.  He joined the Borum’s staff in 2010 and is trained in general and child/adolescent psychiatry and is Board Eligible in Adult and Child Psychiatry.

Rachel Kahn, LMHC has been a therapist at the Borum since 2014. She has a BA from Mount Holyoke College and an MA in Expressive Therapies and Mental Health Counseling from Lesley University. Rachel’s clinical interests include trauma; expressive arts therapies; LGBTQ issues; transgender care; mood and anxiety disorders; LGBTQ adolescent care; mental health and state agency involvement and/or residential care; multimodal therapies; relationships and sexuality; group therapy; intersections of mental health and disability; and intersections of mental health and social justice/anti-oppression work.

Molly McHenry, NP is a family nurse practitioner at the Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center. She obtained her BSN and FNP degrees at Columbia University, and began her nursing career as staff nurse on an HIV/AIDS floor at Cornell Hospital in Manhattan. As a nurse practitioner, Molly has undergone extensive training in providing care utilizing a harm-reduction approach, with a specific focus on caring for LGBTQ and HIV+ individuals. She is currently a member of the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN) Coalition “Male and Transgender Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children” Working Group coordinated by the Children’s Advocacy Center. In her free time, Molly enjoys working in her backyard garden, cooking, cycling and spending time in the outdoors. She lives with her partner and her three-legged dog, Mingus.

Story Stephenson, MSW, LICSW has been providing individual and group therapy services through JRI Health, the SBHC, and at the Boston Living Center since 2002. Besides her training in clinical social work, Story has a background in mind/body therapies, holistic and spiritually based psychotherapy, and substance abuse treatment. Areas of special clinical interest include living with HIV, depression, substance use, trauma recovery, and adventure-based therapy. Story seeks work with people of all genders and sexualities.

Susan Tapia, LPN is a board certified license practical nurse at the Borum. She graduated from the Lemuel Shattuck Hospital School of Practical Nursing in 1990. She has worked in many medical facilities from pediatrics to geriatrics, both inpatient and outpatient settings. She also has an Associated Degree in Applied Science from FINE College. Susan is interested health care and educating the young adults about the body and its functions/diseases and she speaks English, Cantonese and Toisanese.

Ralph Vetters, MD is Medical Director of the Sidney Borum Jr. Health Center and was trained in pediatrics at Children's Hospital and the Boston Medical Center and graduated from the Harvard Medical School in 2003. He started working at the Borum in July of 2006 and is interested in adolescent health care, health care for homeless youth, and primary care for gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer and transgender youth. He speaks English, Portuguese, and Spanish. He lives in Somerville.

 

 

WHO WAS SIDNEY BORUM JR.? 

Sidney W. Borum, Jr. was an African-American HIV/AIDS activist and educator who worked with adolescents and other young people at risk for HIV transmission. He advocated for widespread condom distribution to help prevent HIV infections and worked to establish programs to provide medical care for uninsured people living with HIV. During the height of the epidemic, Borum served as Executive Director of the Boston Living Center and Positive Directions and then worked for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s HIV/AIDS Bureau. He died of AIDS in 1992 and the Sidney Borum, Jr. Health Center is named in his memory.