Health Care for the Homeless
The mission of the Healthcare for the Homeless nursing team is to improve the health and wellbeing of people enduring homelessness in our community. While working to increase patient trust, we strive to provide whole person care with an emphasis on harm reduction and trauma informed care. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the patient, the health care system and social service resources with high quality, culturally sensitive and equitable care.
The nurses provide health care to homeless patients during the most vulnerable time in their lives. During outreach they provide services to people with complex medical, behavioral health and substance use issues. Examples include patient with poorly controlled diabetes, domestic violence, an opioid crisis, a behavioral health crisis, or complex wounds.
Where Do We Serve?
The Health Care for the Homeless Nurses provide services in multiple locations, including:
- Tiny house villages
- Family shelters
211
Health Care for the Homeless focuses on health and advocacy. If you need housing assistance, please call 211
What Do We Cover?
- Parenting or breastfeeding support
- Pre-natal education
- Chronic disease management
- Harm Reduction and trauma informed intervention related to substance use and behavioral health issues
- Advocacy
- Nursing care for acute medical conditions
- Linkage to Primary and Dental Care
- Decreasing inappropriate emergency room visits
Advocacy
As front-line workers, they also provide advocacy at the community, governmental and legislative level for issues they witness that foster homelessness, such as economic inequality, racial injustice, and targeted evictions.
Health Care for the Homeless is a national membership organization uniting thousands of health care professionals, people with lived experience of homelessness, and advocates in homeless health care.
How Can I Help?
The Health Care for the Homeless Program is supported in part by public funds and donations. To help support Carolyn Downs and Country Doctor’s partnership and to help us offer more care and advocacy for King County’s homeless children, families, and individuals, please donate.