Heals on Wheels: Bringing Medicine to the Streets of Portland

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📸 Image from GiveGuide.org of Street Medicine Volunteers at a Forrest Encampment 


Did you know that the average life expectancy of a homeless person is only 47 years (O’Connell, 2005)? This staggering disparity is driven by the relentless daily struggle to meet basic needs. From securing food to finding safe shelter, these barriers can interfere with their ability to attend medical appointments, receive preventive care, or manage chronic conditions. However, one innovative model has been rolling through Portland to bring care directly to people living outdoors: Portland Street Medicine.


📸 Image from BikePortand.org of Street Medicine Volunteers Biking 

 

Portland Street Medicine is a coalition of volunteer social workers, medical providers, and care coordinators that are dedicated to bringing basic healthcare to our unhoused neighbors (Portland Street Medicine, n.d.). Volunteers travel on foot, by bike, or mobile van to tents, encampments, and any space where people are living outside. This organization views health care as a human right and believes that building trust within the community is an integral part of its work.

The type of care provided by Portland Street Medicine is fairly comprehensive. Their services include treatment of wounds and sprains, as well as management for chronic conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes (Portland Street Medicine, n.d.). Additionally, the team assists patients in accessing same-day clinical care for urgent needs, and they play a crucial role in connecting individuals to mental health services, addiction treatment, and other support systems. 

📸Graph depicting mortality rates of Housed, Housed Poor, and Unhoused US population from NBER


Recent national research shows how urgent this work truly is. Findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research estimate that unhoused individuals face a mortality risk 3.5 times higher than that of the general population (Meyer, 2024). These preventable losses of life reflect a health system that often fails to reach those who are systemically marginalized. 

Portland Street Medicine helps to close this gap by delivering accessible, community based care directly to individuals who are often overlooked by traditional systems. This organization isn’t just bringing care to the unhoused; it’s also giving them a sense of dignity and helping them regain trust in the health care system.


For more information on this organization, please visit PortlandStreetMedicine.org.


References

Meyer, B. D., Wyse, A., & Logani, I. (2024, February 1). Estimating mortality rates for the US homeless population. The Digest, National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/digest/202402/estimating-mortality-rates-us-homeless-population

O’Connell, J. J. (2005). Premature mortality in homeless populations: A review of the literature. National Health Care for the Homeless Council.
https://santabarbarastreetmedicine.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/PrematureMortalityFinal.pdf

Portland Street Medicine. (n.d.). Portland Street Medicine. https://www.portlandstreetmedicine.org/

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