Alliance Partnering to Bring Critical Care Where It’s Needed

One of the results of homelessness in our communities is the proliferation of tent encampments filled with men and women lacking the safe, secure housing that is critical to maintaining both physical and mental well-being. As part of our ongoing efforts to address the environmental conditions where people live, work and play that can influence overall health outcomes – known as the social drivers of health – Alliance is partnering with Atrium Health, the City of Raleigh, WakeMed and others to sponsor pop-up events that bring critical medicines, health assessments and other resources to tent encampments in Mecklenburg and Wake counties.

The initiative is dubbed “street medicine,” where teams of psychiatrists and other doctors, nurses, peer support specialists, and street outreach workers are deployed to eight large encampments in Charlotte and others in Raleigh. They conduct health assessments of the people living there and work to engage them in appropriate treatment, including rapid response to those found to be in crisis situations. Housing navigators are available to arrange emergency housing for those in the most immediate need, and to talk with others about beginning a path to longer-term housing solutions. Hot meals are also served during some of the visits.

According to Ann Oshel, head of Community Health and Well-Being at Alliance, the first order of business for the outreach teams is often gaining a measure of trust from people living in the encampments. They are well aware that the encampments are not always welcomed by local officials. “They will peek out from behind trees to see what we’re up to, but before long many are willing to accept our help, and it is truly awe-inspiring to see what can happen right there where people are literally living and surviving.”