In our newest installment of Day in the Life, this photo essay features Andre Jordan, Peer Counselor and Jose Capo, Addiction Counselor who deliver services from our S.H.O.W. mobile unit in Mott Haven, in the Bronx.
What’s a S.H.O.W. mobile unit?
S.H.O.W. which stands for Street Health Outreach and Wellness, are mobile units which provide primary care, harm reduction services, connections to substance use treatment and housing, behavioral health services, community resources, and material goods to individuals. The program’s focus is to serve patients who are unsheltered and living on the street.
NYC Health + Hospitals has eight S.H.O.W. mobile units across NYC staffed with specialists like Jose Capo and Andre Jordan, RNs, physicians and paramedics. Since the program’s launch in 2021, S.H.O.W. mobile unit staff have completed more than 233,000 engagements in communities across New York City with a focus on people experiencing homelessness.
Most days for Andre Jordan begin on the S.H.O.W. mobile unit where he checks his schedule to plot the day’s activities in the bustling Mott Haven community.
“My role as part of the S.H.O.W. Team is to encourage and motivate individuals who are struggling with psychiatric related issues. I self-identify with most of the individuals we encounter due to my history of substance use, incarceration, being homeless myself, as well as my history with depression and anxiety. My coping skills and support system, friends as well as mentors in the behavioral health field, help me to maintain my recovery,” Andre Jordan, Peer Counselor, S.H.O.W. mobile unit.
While many care providers work in traditional spaces like hospitals, clinics, nursing homes and residential settings, Jose and Andre tread paths that many of us would never dare take. Here, they make their way to a homeless encampment adjacent to the 138th Street bridge for a wellness check.
Andre offers resource bags to one of the encampment residents who only speaks Spanish. Jose who is bilingual, communicates with the individual in Spanish – offering to connect him to a shelter if he needed it, as well as medical services available to him at nearby NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln.
“For those who are homeless with multiple medical related issues, the S.H.O.W. team was able to convince a few of these individuals to seek support from the safety net clinic within Lincoln Hospital. Recently both me and Jose (Capo) were able to have a few patients picked up by staff from community-based partner Bronx Works due to their status of being chronically homeless and placed in their Safe Haven Hunts Point location to receive the support and services they are willing to receive,” Andre Jordan, Peer Counselor.
“A lot of the people we meet on these streets are very kind people who have hit some hard times. But somehow, they manage to keep their humanity and even though they are very self-sufficient in these encampments, they are still very grateful for the help we provide and are glad to see us when we show up,” Andre Jordan, Peer Counselor.
Jose looks off into the distance where a homeless encampment used to be, optimistic that the individuals he connected to services and offered resources to in the past, were alive and safe. The encampment was recently cleared for reasons unknown.
Andre stops for a bite to eat after a busy morning of checking in with the some of the neighborhood’s most vulnerable.
While Andre and Jose are proud of the work they do, they are often left contemplating the fate of those they offer their services to.
“A lot of people struggling with homelessness and other issues get frustrated with receiving services and that can make it difficult for us to help them sometimes. In a lot of instances, they have gone to multiple organizations and agencies who promise to help, but never deliver, and this causes them to be apprehensive about receiving care and connections to services that can improve their situation,” Jose Capo, Addiction Counselor.
Andre and Jose happen across someone they’ve provided services to before. In this photo, they learn that the individual just lost his apartment and was getting mentally prepared to be homeless again. Jose assures the individual he can connect him to shelter services in less than two hours—but they are hesitant.
Meanwhile, Andre offers his contact information, assuring the individual he is available at any time to connect them to a shelter, as well as primary care and mental health services at nearby Lincoln Hospital.
Jose and Andre give away valued resource bags and offer to connect individuals to substance use recovery services, shelters and essential health care available at nearby Lincoln Hospital. Our S.H.O.W. mobile units have delivered 69,000 medical and hygienic resources, including fentanyl test kits, Narcan kits, Xylazine test strips, hygiene bags, socks and meal packages to individuals across New York City struggling with substance use and homelessness.
“Many of our community residents struggle with substance use disorders. One of the biggest challenges we are currently facing are individuals mixing fentanyl with xylazine, also known as Tranq which is a known horse tranquilizer. When people inject this mixture, they can develop severe wounds which can cause their tissue to rot and eventually lead to amputation. We check-in on these individuals regularly with a specialist who can take care of the wound for them right there on the street where they are.
This is a very valuable service we provide to the community with substance use challenges because it can ultimately save their life,” said Jose Capo, Addiction Counselor.
A success story: Luis (seated in blue t-shirt) who has struggled with opioid use for a while, has been following buprenorphine treatment and abstaining from opioids, is happy to update Jose and Andre about his progress. Luis was also suffering from knee impediments and recently received surgery at Lincoln Hospital.
Ending the day on a positive note. Andre and Jose’s partnership deliver oftentimes life-saving services to individuals in Mott Haven enduring significant challenges to their health and wellness. They are a reflection and extension of NYC Health + Hospitals mission to deliver vital and compassionate care regardless of an individual’s socioeconomic status or ability to pay.