Health and homelessness are closely linked.

An acute health crisis or chronic medical condition can trigger the loss of work and health care benefits and can ultimately can lead to the loss of housing.

And the conditions of homelessness can bring about new health challenges or exacerbate existing ones. Without insurance or reliable transportation, accessing health care becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Our Street Medicine Team sets out with backpacks of medical and survival supplies to serve and treat individuals who have the most trouble accessing health care in remote areas of the city such as under viaducts and in parks and forest preserves. Regularly visiting encampments across the city, a Nurse Practitioner, Case Manager, and Street Medicine Outreach Professional first address immediate health needs, then link individuals to case management and medical homes.