Sacramento Street Medicine delivers lifesaving care directly to people living on the streets

For six years, a Sacramento nonprofit has been bringing medical care directly to people living on the streets, meeting patients where they are and, in many cases, saving lives.Sacramento Street Medicine sends a physician assistant and volunteers, including UC Davis students training to become doctors, into homeless encampments across the city. Their mission is simple: provide care to those who might otherwise go without it.On a sidewalk in south Sacramento, a routine doctor’s visit looks very different.Medical teams check blood pressure, monitor heart rates, and treat chronic conditions — all outdoors.For patients like Andy Her, the impact has been life-changing.“It is wonderful, actually,” Her said. “It makes it more simple for me… for those who have less of a home. This is like the number one source for us.”Before the team began visiting him, Her said he didn’t know he had high blood pressure. Now, with medication and regular check-ins, his condition is under control.“Before it was high, but now it’s good now because they come out,” he said.When asked if the care is lifesaving, Her didn’t hesitate.“Actually, it is,” he said. “A lot of people are still breathing because of that.”The program focuses on people who often fall through the cracks of the traditional health care system.“A lot of these individuals would not be able to go to the pharmacies or go to the doctor’s offices,” said physician assistant Heather MacDonald. “So we come to them and provide the care on site.”Beyond medical treatment, the team builds trust first. They offer conversation, snacks, and water before asking patients if they’d like care.Providers say that connection is just as important as the medicine.“How we treat the people that are in the most unprivileged situations is indicative of how we treat everybody,” MacDonald said.Volunteers include future doctors like Q.V. Dam, a UC Davis student who helps lead operations. He said the work highlights major gaps in access to care.“Our main goal is to provide medical care and also social services to our neighbors living outside,” Dam said. “There are so many systemic barriers to accessing health care.”He says preventive care can make the difference between a minor issue and a medical emergency.“Something as small as a cut can evolve into something really life-threatening,” Dam said. “Meeting people where they are is really important.”But sometimes, the most meaningful care is simply listening.“Just having someone to hear their story and take it seriously goes a really long way,” he said.For Her, the visits offer more than medical support, they bring hope.“Yeah…big hope,” he said.Sacramento Street Medicine says it will continue making rounds across the city, reminding people to prioritize their health, and that they are not alone.The nonprofit is currently seeking volunteers and donations to help expand its outreach and continue serving Sacramento’s most vulnerable communities.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

For six years, a Sacramento nonprofit has been bringing medical care directly to people living on the streets, meeting patients where they are and, in many cases, saving lives.

Sacramento Street Medicine sends a physician assistant and volunteers, including UC Davis students training to become doctors, into homeless encampments across the city. Their mission is simple: provide care to those who might otherwise go without it.

On a sidewalk in south Sacramento, a routine doctor’s visit looks very different.

Medical teams check blood pressure, monitor heart rates, and treat chronic conditions — all outdoors.

For patients like Andy Her, the impact has been life-changing.

“It is wonderful, actually,” Her said. “It makes it more simple for me… for those who have less of a home. This is like the number one source for us.”

Before the team began visiting him, Her said he didn’t know he had high blood pressure. Now, with medication and regular check-ins, his condition is under control.

“Before it was high, but now it’s good now because they come out,” he said.

When asked if the care is lifesaving, Her didn’t hesitate.

“Actually, it is,” he said. “A lot of people are still breathing because of that.”

The program focuses on people who often fall through the cracks of the traditional health care system.

“A lot of these individuals would not be able to go to the pharmacies or go to the doctor’s offices,” said physician assistant Heather MacDonald. “So we come to them and provide the care on site.”

Beyond medical treatment, the team builds trust first. They offer conversation, snacks, and water before asking patients if they’d like care.

Providers say that connection is just as important as the medicine.

“How we treat the people that are in the most unprivileged situations is indicative of how we treat everybody,” MacDonald said.

Volunteers include future doctors like Q.V. Dam, a UC Davis student who helps lead operations. He said the work highlights major gaps in access to care.

“Our main goal is to provide medical care and also social services to our neighbors living outside,” Dam said. “There are so many systemic barriers to accessing health care.”

He says preventive care can make the difference between a minor issue and a medical emergency.

“Something as small as a cut can evolve into something really life-threatening,” Dam said. “Meeting people where they are is really important.”

But sometimes, the most meaningful care is simply listening.

“Just having someone to hear their story and take it seriously goes a really long way,” he said.

For Her, the visits offer more than medical support, they bring hope.

“Yeah…big hope,” he said.

Sacramento Street Medicine says it will continue making rounds across the city, reminding people to prioritize their health, and that they are not alone.

The nonprofit is currently seeking volunteers and donations to help expand its outreach and continue serving Sacramento’s most vulnerable communities.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel