BOSTON – September 30, 2024 – We’re thrilled to announce that Steve O’Neill, LICSW, BCD, JD—Director of Behavioral Health for OpenNotes—has been honored with a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by the Massachusetts Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers (NASW-MA). This recognition celebrates Steve’s extraordinary contributions to social work, bioethics, patient care, and transparency in healthcare.
Steve’s dedication to improving healthcare, advancing ethical standards, and promoting transparency has left an indelible mark on the social work and healthcare communities.
Learn more about Steve’s outstanding achievements:
A Career of Remarkable Contributions
Steve’s career is distinguished by over 40 years of teaching at Harvard Medical School and 30 years at Simmons University, where he has shaped generations of healthcare and social work professionals. His leadership at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) has been pivotal, serving as Associate Director of the Ethics Programs and overseeing Mental and Behavioral Health Programs. Notably, Steve co-founded the Ethics Program at BIDMC, establishing it as a model of interdisciplinary collaboration. A key innovation under his leadership was the implementation of a policy ensuring that anyone involved in an ethics consultation—including patients, family members, and friends—automatically received a copy of the consultation note.
Pioneer of Behavioral Health Therapy through OpenNotes
A true pioneer, Steve was instrumental in launching the first-ever program that made behavioral health therapy notes accessible to patients through the OpenNotes movement. This groundbreaking effort not only empowered patients but also helped prepare mental health clinicians for the national implementation of the 21st Century Cures Act, which mandates transparency in healthcare documentation. (Learn best practices for sharing metal health notes with patients here.)
Steve’s advocacy for transparency doesn’t stop there. He continues to share the principles of OpenNotes globally, conducting research that explores the impact of open communication on patient care and clinician-patient relationships.
Leadership in Ethics and Social Work
Steve’s influence extends well beyond the clinical setting. He has played a crucial role in shaping the ethical standards of the social work profession. As a long-standing member of NASW-MA’s Professional Ethics Committee—serving over 30 years in roles including chair and co-chair—Steve has helped draft and refine both the NASW’s professional standards of conduct and the NASW Code of Ethics. His ethics leadership was further demonstrated through his co-authorship of Massachusetts’ disaster planning guidelines—including those for pandemics—and his membership in the Harvard Ethics Leadership Group at Harvard Medical School.
In addition to his work on ethics and disaster preparedness, Steve has been an innovator in collaborative healthcare education. He helped create an interdisciplinary patient care service that integrates medical, nursing, social work, and pharmacy students, fostering a team-based approach to patient care at Harvard Medical School and BIDMC.
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About OpenNotes
OpenNotes is an international movement spreading, studying, and teaching transparent communication among patients, families, and clinicians. When clinical notes are shared with patients, they are called ‘open notes.’ OpenNotes is motivated by evidence indicating that when health professionals offer patients and families ready access to clinical notes, the quality and safety of care improves. OpenNotes is a not-for-profit research lab based at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a major Harvard Medical School teaching hospital.
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