About Sharewood

Sharewood is a free health education program that also provides limited health care services to the medically underserved populations of the Malden and Greater Boston areas. Medical services are managed by volunteer physicians and faculty from Tufts University School of Medicine, under the direction of Clinton Pong, MD, medical director/advisor. Dr. Pong is also an assistant professor of family medicine at Tufts School of Medicine and course director of Tufts' final pre-clerkship clinical course, Competency-Based Apprenticeship in Primary Care. The administrative responsibilities for Sharewood is held by a board of 27 volunteer medical students from Tufts. Dental students and faculty volunteers from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine also contribute, as do physician assistant, nutrition, public health, and undergraduate students from Tufts University.

The name "Sharewood" is based on the Robin Hood/Sherwood Forest idea of giving to the poor. The reason "Sherwood" became "Sharewood" is that the Sharewood Project because the aim of Sharewood is a mutual give and take where those receiving health services provide a learning opportunity for the students of Tufts University School of Medicine. The experience is shared rather than given.

The Sharewood Project was started by students of the Tufts School of Medicine class of '99, who during their first year of medical school began working to establish a free program to serve underserved communities in 1994. They made contacts within Tufts, NEMC, the local government, various social groups and community physicians. They also began the laborious process of writing grants and raising funds. The United Methodist Church of All Nations graciously donated space on its third floor to be used as the project site, and many Tufts alumni and area physicians donated necessary equipment such as exam tables and medical supplies. Finally, after a year and a half of planning and hard work, Sharewood opened its doors on February 18, 1997 under the guidance of Dr. Brian Lisse (Medical Director/Advisor, 1997-2001). Throughout the spring and summer of 1997, Sharewood worked on tailoring its services to the needs of its expanding client population. By August 1998, Sharewood had seen 244 clients with a total of 465 client visits!

In the winter of 2001, the Church of All Nations had fallen into financial difficulty, and could not continue to host Sharewood's location. After an extensive search, and assistance from Dr. Joseph Gravel (Medical Director/Advisor, 2001-2009), it was decided to move the project to the Center United Methodist Church in Malden. On January 15, 2002, with help from the church and the Malden Tri-City Community Action Program, Sharewood successfully completed its move and reopened its doors.

In the fall of 2005, the United Methodist Church in Malden closed, requiring Sharewood to relocate. With a commitment to the Malden community, an important criteria was to stay in Malden. Following another search for a suitable location, the Board of Directors decided to move into St Paul's Parish in Malden, MA. We are grateful to the church and its parishioners who allow us to use the space that we now call home.

Prior to COVID-19 pandemic, Sharewood served approximately 1,000 clients annually, many of whom did not have health insurance or did not know how to access healthcare services. Sharewood’s goal has been education of its clients about common diseases, screening for some of those diseases, and most importantly, connecting them with healthcare resources in their local communities. Clients speak a variety of languages, including English, Mandarin, Spanish, Cantonese, Haitian-Creole, and Portuguese. In 2012-2013, Sharewood established a collaboration with the nonprofit Found in Translation, which provided medical interpreter services to clients who needed them.