Bringing Medical Care to the Streets: Lessons Learned in Launching a Street Medicine Outreach

Street Medicine, where healthcare is provided in non-traditional settings, provides care to people experiencing homelessness (PEH). Street medicine has been shown to improve patients' health and decrease Emergency Department visits, making it a cost effective way to provide medical care to PEH.

This paper is based on the SAEM25 didactic session as conducted in Philadelphia, where a panel of providers who are directly involved in street medicine clinics shared their experiences and perspectives on the various designs in practice. These topics included key logistical challenges and solutions, barriers to care and trust building, strategies for fostering sustainable partnerships with community organizations, and options for medical student or resident involvement.

The design and unique approach of four different universities across the country was compared and contrasted by a panel of experts, all with experiences working directly with PEH. There are similarly identified barriers to providing care to PEH including location and transportation, financial and food insecurity, and trust between the community and the healthcare system.

There are multiple options that exist to provide a framework to create a clinic to support populations of PEH.