White Bird Street Medicine Program

Too many unhoused and low-income community members need medical care that they cannot access. In response, White Bird has developed a Street Medicine service, which will provide mobile health care in partnership with community nonprofits and government agencies. The service will reach vulnerable populations and deliver services directly to communities of need.

White Bird’s innovative service will help patients sustainably manage chronic diseases, promote preventative health, respond dynamically to evolving needs, and improve outcomes among communities disenfranchised from traditional healthcare.

The mobile clinic’s team will include a medical provider plus two clinic staff. Housed in a twenty-two foot trailer, the clinic will provide a fully equipped exam room, capable of supporting acute and preventative care, on-site treatments, and office procedures.

As a link between clinical and community settings, the service will eliminate barriers to access for medically disenfranchised community members, who are disproportionately affected by many illnesses due to disparities in social determinants of health. These disparities represent a key area to target in order to better our community’s overall health and decrease healthcare spending. Mobile medical services have been shown to produce significant cost savings and represent a cost-effective care delivery model that improves health outcomes in underserved groups.

The Street Medicine program will also help patients navigate the larger healthcare system and connect them with medical and social resources in the community.