ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0A nonprofit organization is helping people experiencing homelessness get access to medical care.\u00a0<\/p>\n
What You Need To Know<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Samaritan Resource Center<\/a>\u00a0is partnering with\u00a0True Health<\/a>\u00a0to launch a new\u00a0street medicine program\u00a0bringing primary and preventive health care directly to individuals experiencing homelessness in east Orlando. The initiative began its first rounds of outreach in October and is already filling a critical gap in care for some of the community\u2019s most vulnerable neighbors. The Samaritan Resource Center<\/a> is partnering with True Health<\/a> to launch a new\u00a0street medicine program\u00a0bringing primary and preventive health care directly to individuals\u00a0experiencing homelessness in east Orlando.<\/p>\n The initiative began its first rounds of outreach in October and is already filling a critical gap in care for some of the community\u2019s most vulnerable neighbors.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that there are clients that can\u2019t get here for various reasons. Out in the camps, out in the field. And our outreach team sees them all the time. So, we saw the gap, and we talked to our partners at True Health. And they were able to work through the logistics,\u201d Zeynep Portway, executive director for the Samaritan Resource Center, explained.<\/p>\n Once a week, rain or shine, an outreach team from the Samaritan Resource Center and a nurse practitioner from True Health go out into the community to meet people where they are.<\/p>\n The team listens to any medical concerns they have, takes their vitals and offers advice on how to address any issues they might be facing.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cMy father, he had low blood pressure, and I don\u2019t know if I have or not, but I\u2019m assuming I do,\u201d said John Brundage, one of the individuals helped by the street medicine program.<\/p>\n The care is well received by those who are so often forgotten. \u201cI feel like I\u2019m loved. I feel like I\u2019m greatly appreciated. I feel like I\u2019m someone. I don\u2019t feel like I\u2019m a nobody,\u201d Brundage said.<\/p>\n Services also include basic medical care, wound\u00a0treatment, screenings, and referrals for follow-up care.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf somebody is referred to a medical appointment, we will call a Lyft through True Health for them and get them picked up at the location to go to the appointment. And then they\u2019ll get a Lyft back. However, it can be difficult and challenging because they don\u2019t have phone access. So, if the Lyft comes and they\u2019re letting them know they\u2019re there, if they don\u2019t respond, then sometimes they leave,\u201d said Samaritan Resource Center Outreach Case Manager Brynne Clark.<\/p>\n The group drives from one location to the next one looking for people at\u00a0encampments, parks, and other places where they are living unsheltered.\u00a0Sometimes, it takes going deep into the woods to find those who need help.\u00a0<\/p>\n With every step, Clark says she feels grateful to bring the care they need and meet them where they are.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a blessing being able to help people and empower people to be able to come out of this and bring hope to them,\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n The initiative began its first rounds of outreach in October and is already filling a critical gap in care for some of the community\u2019s most vulnerable neighbors.\u00a0Last year, the Samaritan Resource Center served more than\u00a02,000 individuals, including families with children\u00a0and seniors.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIf we can try and do some preventative maintenance or actually meet them where they are, and get them some services that\u2019s going to prevent them from having worsening conditions, having to go to the emergency room, or having even worse conditions where they actually end up hospitalized,\u201d Dr. Karenna Senors, Chief Medical Officer for True Health, said.<\/p>\n Stacy Reed has been living out in the woods at an encampment for a long time, making the space her home. She has no running water or electricity, but Reed welcomes and appreciates the help offered by the team.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s been so helpful, very helpful.\u00a0And my doctor\u2019s been very helpful to everybody in the Samaritan has been helpful. But coming out here is actually better,\u201d Reed said about Clark. The two have built a relationship of mutual trust over the years, as the outreach team has helped her.<\/p>\n Like Reed, many of the people the team helps lack reliable access to transportation, health insurance, or regular medical\u00a0providers, making on-the-ground outreach essential for early detection, chronic care management, and\u00a0injury prevention.\u00a0<\/p>\n But she won\u2019t be living there much longer, as the team shared the news that Reed will soon move into permanent housing \u2014 another service they offer.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI am very excited; it\u2019s been so many years that I\u2019ve been homeless and just trying to get back on my feet. It\u2019s very exciting,\u201d Reed said.<\/p>\n Clark said once they get people into housing, the relationship continues.\u00a0\u201cHelping them retain that, helping retain the relationships that we have, checking in on them, making sure they have everything that they need from furniture to housing supplies, cleaning supplies,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a labor of love, one that takes perseverance and persistence to make a difference in people\u2019s lives.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m pleasantly persistent. So, like, just because someone says, no, I\u2019ll keep coming, I\u2019ll keep showing up. And then, one of these days, eventually, someone might decide, \u2018Hey, let me show up for myself, too,\u2019\u201d Clark said.<\/p>\n The street medicine program is funded through support from Orange County in the amount of $53,000. This funding currently allows the organization to offer the service once per week, bringing medical care directly to individuals experiencing homelessness in the field. At this time, the funding supports the current level of service for the duration of this program year.<\/p>\n Leaders at the Samaritan Resource Center say they look forward to sustaining and expanding the street medicine project in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ORLANDO, Fla. \u2014\u00a0A nonprofit organization is helping people experiencing homelessness get access to medical care.\u00a0 What You Need…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234132,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[3948,1188,6466,274,571,6075,1192,766,115,772,1335,139,141,140,278],"class_list":{"0":"post-234131","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-orlando","8":"tag-app-health","9":"tag-app-homelessness","10":"tag-app-latest-health-stories","11":"tag-app-top-stories","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-health-and-medicine","14":"tag-homelessness","15":"tag-massiel-leyva","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-on-air-ticker-article","18":"tag-orange-county","19":"tag-orlando","20":"tag-orlando-headlines","21":"tag-orlando-news","22":"tag-top-stories"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234131","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234131"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234131\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234132"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234131"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234131"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234131"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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Once a week, rain or shine, an outreach team from the Samaritan Resource Center and a nurse practitioner from True Health go out into the community to meet people where they are.
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The team listens to any medical concerns they have, takes their vitals and offers advice on how to address any issues they might be facing
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The street medicine program<\/a> is funded through support from Orange County in the amount of $53,000. This funding currently allows the organization to offer the service once per week, bringing medical care directly to individuals experiencing homelessness in the field. At this time, the funding supports the current level of service for the duration of this program year.<\/p>\n