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Central City Concern is taking two new vans to the streets.
The Portland nonprofit, which provides health care, housing and behavioral health services to those experiencing homelessness, showcased its new mobile health vans at a Tuesday celebration in Pioneer Courthouse Square.
“The origin story is that at CCC, we identified that there was an unmet need in the community to close the gap to provide services to folks staying in safe rest villages or temporary shelters or are unsheltered,” said Dr. Andy Mendenhall, president and CEO of Central City Concern.
The idea behind street medicine is straightforward — bring services to people, instead of the other way around. Those experiencing homelessness face challenges in keeping appointments at a brick-and-mortar clinic, both because they don’t have a fixed address and because they may feel stigmatized in traditional health care settings.
Volunteers with Portland Street Medicine have been going out to homeless encampments to treat foot sores, hand out naloxone and provide other basic care for several years.
CCC began providing outreach health care last September, with team members setting out on foot with backpacks. The team has made 1,000 “contact points” so far, said Lori Dolo Scott, director of nursing at CCC and the manager of the 12-person mobile health unit.
Dolo Scott said the vans will provide a dedicated private space for patients to be seen, "protecting their dignity.” Each van is equipped with a patient room with an exam table, bathroom and cupboards filled with supplies.
“This gives us a proper space,” she said.
The team is staffed with a combination of roles, such as primary care provider, behavioral health specialist and community health outreach worker. CCC also has been partnering with Medical Teams International, which offers mobile dental care.
The teams have not only been able to deliver care but help stabilize people who need housing and treatment for substance use disorders and complex medical needs, Mendenhall said.
“We know folks struggling with unsheltered homelessness need access to care and services and they need connections to be established,” he said. “Doing mobile health care in and of itself is a barrier buster.”
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also moved toward covering street-based care, which also contributed to CCC’s decision to roll out the program, Mendenhall said.
CCC received funding for the mobile health program from the Joint Office of Homeless Services, Oregon Health Authority, Trillium Community Health Plan, Maybelle Clark Macdonald Fund and city.
