The grant comes from the Health Resources and Service Administration in the amount of $2.4 million.
East Tennessee State University Health’s Family Medicine has received a $2.4 million Health Resources and Service Administration grant to fund the project “Taking to the STREETs: Building Bridges to Healthcare for the Unhoused.” The street medicine program will bring patient care to unhoused individuals and will give resident physicians the opportunity to train in a community health setting.
According to an article on East Tennessee State University’s website, Dr. Jason Moore, who serves as the chair of the Department of Family Medicine, was quoted as saying of the new street medicine program, “This program reflects our commitment to caring for our whole community. It also helps train physicians to understand the real-life challenges their patients face and how to respond with care and respect. It shows how our academic model brings education and patient care together to make a real difference in our region.”
The street medicine program will provide individuals who are experiencing homelessness medical care in shelters and outdoor encampments, giving them the ability to receive care outside of a clinic environment. Resident physicians will receive training that will help them provide high levels of care to unhoused individuals in the community. The resident physicians will spend time in the classroom learning how to provide primary care, behavioral health assistance, and addiction treatment to the unhoused population. In addition to learning in the classroom, they will also have two months of hands-on training out in the community, learning how to provide care to patients outside of a typical healthcare setting.
Dr. Morgan Buda, an ETSU Health Family Medicine physician and the project lead for “Taking to the STREETs: Building Bridges to Healthcare for the Unhoused,” said, “Street medicine is about meeting people where they are, both physically and in their life circumstances. This program allows us to extend care beyond clinic walls while helping our residents learn how to care for patients who face real barriers to getting help.”
Dr. Opal Frye-Clark will serve as the Clinical and Community Liaison for the street medicine program. She will manage the care teams, which will include physicians, residents, community partners, clinic pharmacists, and social workers. Dr. Frye-Clark has many years of experience working with unhoused individuals and will be able to build trust within the community.
The program will begin training about 60 resident physicians in locations like ETSU Health Downtown Day Center, Frontier Health’s Safe House, and local encampments in Johnson City. Organizers hope to expand the program to Kingsport and Bristol and train 140 residents in five years.
The street medicine program will help unhoused individuals begin to manage their health, including managing their chronic illnesses, treating and keeping wounds clean, and storing their medications. Its larger goal is to create a pool of local physicians who are experienced in helping unhoused people and other underserved populations.
For more information about East Tennessee State University, visit the school’s website.