Dr. Thomas D. Huggett, a family medicine physician, has spent three decades working with marginalized and unhoused populations on Chicago's West Side. As medical director of mobile health at Lawndale Christian Health Center, he provides primary care services at 20 shelters. Huggett emphasizes understanding patients' goals beyond typical medical concerns.
“Some people want to find steady employment or stable housing, while others are looking to not use street drugs or reconnect with their family,” Huggett said.
Street medicine is a practice where healthcare providers deliver care outside traditional facilities to homeless populations. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development reported a 12% increase in homelessness from 2022 to 2023, with over 650,000 individuals experiencing homelessness on a single night in January last year.
Huggett aims to provide low-barrier care and build relationships with patients to connect them with housing and outpatient services. “Our intent is to provide a very low barrier to care, to build rapport and relationships so that over time we may have the opportunity to deliver care to our patients, and perhaps connect them with housing and traditional outpatient services,” he said.
Icy Cade-Bell of Comer Children’s Hospital Mobile Medical Unit has expanded her team's capabilities due to an influx of migrant families in Chicago. The unit serves children aged three to 19 but now also sees infants and young adults up to age 24.
Cade-Bell highlights the need for cultural competencies when working with new arrivals: “Working with new arrivals has been a learning experience for us because they have these layers of concerns that go above what we typically encounter with our public school students.”
Jonathan Sherin developed the Homeless Outreach and Mobile Engagement (HOME) program in Los Angeles, focusing on treating severely ill individuals by building trust through humanitarian outreach.
“It’s about reaching individuals in the most humanitarian way and restricting their civil liberties as little as possible,” Sherin said.
Jeffrey Eisen emphasizes peer engagement using former PEH who have overcome challenges as crucial in bridging gaps between underserved communities and healthcare providers.
“Peers understand the mental health concerns these individuals have," Eisen said.
Pilar Ortega advocates for addressing health inequities affecting racially minoritized populations disproportionately impacted by housing insecurity. She stresses the importance of inclusive medical education environments for effective healthcare delivery.
“They are often the ones who are most motivated to take care of underserved patients," Ortega noted.
Ortega's work includes developing a medical Spanish course at Pritzker School of Medicine, reflecting an inclusive educational approach beneficial for future clinicians serving diverse populations.
Eisen believes applying these concepts broadly could positively impact street medicine's future: “This is very interesting, complex and meaningful work."