The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center in Maverick Square was busy on a Friday afternoon in December.

Patients steadily entered the lobby, announced with a rush of cold air and the blast of heaters from above the doors. Couches and chairs were full, many occupants huddled in winter jackets and blankets. Patients peered at the eyeglasses on display in the optometry office or lined up in the pharmacy

Meanwhile, Mary Katherine “MK” Hartigan had a lot to celebrate.