Primary Care Training and Enhancement -- Residency Training in Street Medicine - Over the five-year grant period, the Freeman Street Medicine Training Program will train up to 60 family and internal medicine residents, increasing their knowledge and skills to meet the unique needs of people experiencing homelessness (PEH), including chronic disease management, mental health, substance use disorders, and social determinants of health. The first program of its kind in the Freeman Health System service area, it will immediately increase access to medical and behavioral health care for an estimated 600 PEH in Joplin, MO. Six community-based partners are committed to collaborating with the Freeman Graduate Medical Education Program to develop and implement the Street Medicine Training Program: ACCESS Family Medicine (FQHC), Community Clinic of SW MO (free clinic), Kansas City University (medical and dental schools), Legal Aid of Western Missouri, Ozark Center (CCBHO), and The Salvation Army. Three mobile units will be used to conduct street medicine clinics, ensuring flexibility to offer services where PEH have encampments at any given time. Current encampments will be located using the City of Joplin GIS Encampment Map. A monthly clinic held during lunch at The Salvation Army will provide a known location where services can be obtained. Led by Family Medicine Program Director Barbara Miller, DO, two new rotations will be developed (Community Health and Street Medicine) and one will be enhanced (Addiction Medicine). They will deepen residents’ knowledge of caring for individuals in non-traditional settings, raise awareness of stigma and bias associated with being unhoused, and increase skills with training specific to the medical and behavioral health concerns of PEH. Health Literacy Media will partner with Freeman to develop a new module for its interactive Healthcare Navigation Simulation, a resident training exercise specific to the needs and concerns of PEH. All residents will be trained in Mental Health First Aid, Conflict De-escalation, Motivational Interviewing and MOUD with specific focus on circumstances of PEH. In addition to GME faculty participation and resident supervision, the grant supports a 1.0 FTE Project Coordinator and 1.0 FTE Community Health Worker, both of whom will actively coordinate interprofessional team building, person-centered care, data sharing across organizations, and training evaluation. Freeman requests both a New Program Funding Preference and a Funding Priority for training residents in medically underserved communities.
