By Center for Health Care Strategies, California Health Care Foundation, January 11, 2021
Within California, 70% of the approximately 150,000 people experiencing homelessness are living unsheltered, according to the Annual Homeless Assessment Report developed by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. Street medicine is the practice of providing basic medical care to people experiencing homelessness and living on the street. What began in the early 1990s with the recognition that meeting unsheltered people where they are both reduces barriers to care and builds trust has proved to be essential in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 among this high-risk population. They have a higher mortality rate than those who are sheltered or housed, are more at risk for adverse outcomes due to COVID-19 based on their higher rates of chronic conditions, and experience environmental factors that put them at greater risk of infection, such as lack of access to hygiene resources. Street medicine providers are the front line of defense against these inequities by working to decrease the spread and negative impacts of COVID-19, such as worsening mental health, increases in substance use disorders, and delays in health care for the unsheltered population.
The Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) recently spoke with Lisa Abdishoo, MD, president and CEO, and Shannon Fernando, FNP-C chief innovation officer, at Los Angeles Christian Health Centers (LACHC), a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) with multiple locations and street outreach teams, including one on LA’s Skid Row, a 54-block area of downtown LA associated with poverty and homelessness. CHCS also spoke with Danielle Williams, MD, a street medicine provider with the Street Team Outreach Medical Program (STOMP), at the Roots Community Health Center in Oakland, to learn more about how their existing street medicine programs are adapting to meet patients’ needs amid the pandemic.
Comments (0)