Street Medicine volunteers handing out supplies at previous outreach event. Credit: Courtesy of Dr. Irene Mynatt
Without stable housing, accessing health care can become a challenge for people experiencing homelessness. Ohio State Street Medicine, a student-led nonprofit organization, works to close that gap by providing medical care directly to unhoused individuals in Columbus.
The organization holds six outreach events a month, offering services such as wound care and addiction medicine treatment.?
Ohio State students and medical professionals work together to reach people in the community, said Dr. Irene Mynatt, a physician and associate professor of emergency medicine at the Ohio State College of Medicine and co-adviser for student-organization Street Medicine at Ohio State.
Beyond providing medical care, Street Medicine aims to build trust with patients who may face stigma and judgment because of their circumstances, Mynatt said.
“I think a lot of people might judge somebody that they might see on the street,” said Mynatt. “But that person was somebody’s son, somebody’s daughter. That person had a full interactive life, and then something happened.”
Mason Williams, co-president of Street Medicine and a third-year medical student, said the organization aims to make health care more accessible to people experiencing homelessness.
“We understand that this community has kind of been forsaken by the formal health care system in America,” Williams said. “We want to lower the barrier to accessing health care as much as possible.”
Mynatt said her experience with unhoused patients has also changed how she understands the challenges they face when seeking care.
“Working with people on the streets, you realize the system is not set up for them to easily do the things that you have recommended,” Mynatt said.
Street Medicine aims to provide patients with a reliable source of support, Mynatt said.
“Being unhoused is very unstable. We want to make ourselves kind of like the stable part of that, and so they know they can count on us being there, rain or shine,” Mynatt said.
One way Street Medicine provides care is through a Suboxone program that offers medication to treat opioid use disorder, Williams said.
“I feel like our Suboxone clinic is one of the most important things we do because addiction is very prevalent in this population,” Williams said.
The organization’s physicians write prescriptions for Suboxone, allowing patients to continue treatment through a pharmacy, Williams said.
“A lot of patients use because the withdrawal symptoms of these drugs are really, really hard to deal with and a lot of times unbearable,” Williams said.
Mynatt said she has seen how treatment can make an impact on a patient’s life.
“The first person we started on Suboxone for opioid use disorder, he was living with his partner in a tent, and now they are in an apartment three years later,” said Mynatt. “That is certainly not all due to us at all. We are just a small portion of it.”
Mynatt also advises Heart for the Unhoused at Ohio State, an undergraduate student group that partners with Street Medicine. She said the group holds events where undergraduate students can learn practical skills such as CPR and bleeding control and organizes fundraisers for people experiencing homelessness.
“We will take anybody, even if you have no medical knowledge,” Mynatt said. “If anyone is interested, there’s a spot for them in our organization.”
Mynatt said Heart for the Unhoused gives students opportunities to learn about health care and social work while getting to know people experiencing homelessness.
“Homelessness and being unhoused is not an individual downfall,” Williams said. “It’s not the fault of the individual at all. It’s a societal issue. It’s a failure of society that these people are in this position.”
Beyond medical treatment, Street Medicine also provides basic necessities to patients, especially as colder weather approaches, Williams said.
“We provide hot meals and clothes for our patients. We do cold weather drives when the weather gets bad to supply them with protection against some harsh weather conditions,” Williams said.
Mynatt said both organizations’ work depends on the collaboration between medical professionals and students.
“This is not a one-person effort,” Mynatt said. “This is a bunch of people who really want to make both of these organizations work really well, and they’re amazing people involved with this, from the medical students to the undergraduate students.”
Mynatt said she hopes people will reconsider their assumptions about homelessness and recognize the humanity of those living without stable housing.
“They deserve love and support, and they are humans and members of our community, just like we are,” Mynatt said.
