In 1971, Northeastern University students
David Scondras and Linda Beane opened a
drop-in center in the basement of a senior center operated by
The First Church of Christ, Scientist. They named the center the Fenway Community Health Center and staffed it with volunteer nursing students. By 1973, demand had grown to the point where Fenway incorporated as a freestanding health center and sought a larger space at 16 Haviland Street. Today, this space serves as Fenway: Sixteen, the home of Fenway's HIV Counseling, Testing & Referrals Program, Health Navigation Services, Helplines, and gay and bisexual men's health programs. The 16 Haviland Street location has since been closed as Fenway continues its attempts at reaching a broader audience than its traditional LGBT+ clients. In 1978, the center became fully licensed by the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Fenway became involved in treating
HIV/AIDS patients in the early 1980s. In 1981, Fenway made the first diagnosis of AIDS in New England. Fenway's involvement with advocacy and
HIV/AIDS research led to its 1994 selection by the
National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases as one of eight sites recruiting participants for the first clinical trials of an
HIV vaccine. Fenway's current Ansin Building home at 1340
Boylston Street in
Boston opened its doors in 2009. At ten stories and , it is the largest LGBT health and research facility in the United States. In 2013, Fenway Health added two organizations to the Fenway family: the
LGBT Aging Project and the
AIDS Action Committee. In 2015, Fenway's National LGBT Health Education Center held a first-of-its-kind medical conference focused on transgender health. In December 2017, Fenway's CEO, Steven Boswell, resigned due to his handling of complaints about Dr. Harvey Makadon who allegedly
sexually harassed and
bullied staff members of the health clinic. Boswell reportedly ignored a recommendation by an independent law firm to fire the doctor with numerous complaints of harassment. The center's board appointed M. Jane Powers, Fenway's director of behavioral health, as interim CEO. In 2017, Jennifer Potter, MD, was named co-chair of The Fenway Institute, alongside Kenneth Mayer, MD. In early 2020, Ellen LaPointe was named the new CEO of Fenway Health. With the COVID-19 pandemic hitting soon after, Fenway removed the majority of medical and behavioral health appointments to telehealth, established testing programs in Boston and Everett, and activated several research studies, including COVID-19 vaccine trials. ==Operations==