On a typical workday in Guerneville, family doctor Jared Garrison-Jakel attends to patients who are often dealing with more than just an ailment medicine can cure. His patients at the Russian River Health Center include those who do not have a permanent home, are struggling with substance abuse or living with some other mental health disorder — all of which make scheduling a doctor’s appointment a difficult or even impossible task.
“If you don’t know where you are sleeping tonight, making an appointment two or three weeks in advance doesn’t work,” he said. “We need immediacy.”
With this challenge in mind, Garrison-Jakel, of Forestville, implemented a new model for West County Health Center (WCHC) to see un-housed patients on the same day they schedule the appointment. The new system has proven to be a success, serving on average five un-housed patients a day.
The Center For Well Being, a Santa Rosa-based organization with a mission to build a healthier future for people in Sonoma County, recognized the west county doctor for his work at their annual Celebration of Dreams event in September. They selected Garrison-Jakel as the 2018 recipient of the “Leaders In Healthcare” award.
The November WCHC newsletter described Garrison-Jakel, 35, as a young physician who has committed his time, skills and energy to addressing the healthcare needs of the most vulnerable people living in rural, western Sonoma County.
One lesson Garrison-Jakel said he has learned since working with the un-housed population of the Russian River area is the meaning of “survivorship.”
“Nobody is homeless who hasn’t been through the worst circumstances, childhood trauma, mental illness paired with addiction,” he said. “They may not be traditionally succeeding in the way society thinks they should, but there is such resilience.”
Read the full article written by E. I. Hillin: West county doctor recognized for work with homeless
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