Hello and welcome to living in the Lehigh Valley, where our focus is your health and wellness.

I'm your host, Brittany Sweeney.

Those living without a home often face barriers to medical care.

That's why Valley Health Partners street medicine team braved the elements, even in the single digits, to head out and help those who need it.

We were able to tag along as they set out to administer their services to our unhoused neighbors.

The idea that somebody who just wants to be outdoors in this weather for years and years is just not true.

With inches of snow on the ground and the thermometer reading 11 degrees, Seth Campbell sets out to do his job.

They don't have the means to get indoors, and and homelessness is one of the most deadly social determinants of health.

Campbell is a physician's assistant and the program director for Valley Health Partners.

Street medicine program.

So we're a medical service for anybody that's unstable house or staying outdoors.

We bring all the services that are primary care.

Doctor would bring in a regular office just out to the street.

The team is made up of a group of medical providers who head out daily to check on and treat the unhoused across the Lehigh Valley.

You know, the patients that we serve just can't access health care like the rest of us, you know?

Three main barriers is lack of transportation, lack of ability to pay, and then ultimately lack of trust.

In the medical system, because of recurrent compounding, negative interactions.

Eric Rivers is a registered nurse and the clinical lead with street medicine.

So every one of our team members, has supplies in the back of their vehicle tents, sleeping bags, one of our hot topic items that everyone loves.

Wipes.

Socks are also one of the big things.

Hand warmers.

My pack itself, which has all of our medical supplies, backpacks, umbrellas, feminine hygiene products, everything we have donated.

All of us have supplies in the back of our cars.

Whatever we can get in, we can hand out as well.

So our big things, chronic health, hypertension, diabetes, anything that you normally would see your doctor for, medications, for all that we're able to take care of with Rpas as well.

On this particular day, the patient rivers and project coordinator John Kabat set out to see off eighth Avenue in Bethlehem.

Never showed the hospital.

Oh, no.

Yeah.

Other individuals in camp let us know that he is currently in the hospital.

We do have two physician assistants and a certified nurse practitioner.

So if everybody's on, we'll probably see 20 to 30 patients, that day.

If it's just one provider, maybe it's ten.

The visits to the homeless camps are not always just medical.

These are the times with these days with snow may not be as focused on medical that day.

We may come out and do more of a social visit, bring out a shovel, help them dig their way out of their camp, get the snow off the tent so it doesn't collapse.

Those working with street medicine say they form relationships with their patients.

They're also our best resource.

They're extremely thankful for when we come out.

They also recommend other individuals whenever it comes to referrals for new patients.

Those referrals are what lead those living on the streets to health resources they may not know are available, like the Medical Respite program, part of street medicine offering short term recuperative care for persons experiencing homelessness.

Imagine you need a curative, cancer treatment or a lifesaving, lifesaving surgery or even, like wound care expected to heal.

Well, for a person that's living unhoused outdoors, especially rough sleeping, to be able to receive those treatments traditionally in combination with their living conditions, often is not even able to be pursued because the risks are too severe.

So medical respite opens up the doors to those treatments.

Can I do one of your arms here?

I just want to get you to your falls.

Here we go.

David Mayers is currently a patient of Nurse Julie Moyers.

I'm going to.

No other PCP will take you.

They will take you.

They will help.

When you think there's no hope, they will help you.

Perfect blood pressure, 121 over 77.

That's great.

He has diabetes, and he ended up with osteomyelitis, which is an infection in his bone, due to an infection that he had originally, like a wound that kind of kept growing and it progressed to his bone.

So we needed to have an amputation of his toe and.

Moyers says feet problems are common among this population because of the amount of walking they have to do and the lack of access to proper footwear.

He just simply needs antibiotics and daily dressing changes.

But shelter is what is able to make that possible for him.

So that's why we brought him into rest bed.

The program can accommodate up to three patients at a time at a local hotel.

Moyer and her counterpart not only provide medical care, but also provide meals, laundry services, transportation to and from medical appointments, and prescription delivery.

What type of things would you season your food with?

I need salt, pepper, and ketchup.

I got you some ketchup right?

I’m out.

Oh, you’re out already?

So you're a ketchup lover.

Got it.

For our patients, like, the suffering is always there.

And it's not something that other people get to see.

They hide it really well.

There's a lot of challenges, but if we can decrease any of that suffering, especially in respite, you're able to see other things emerge, like hope and joy, and it really makes it worth it for me.

Medical respite is grant funded.

Street medicine services can be billed to Medicaid.

However, patients receive care regardless of their ability to pay, according to the providers.

About 80% of our patients have insurance.

But a lot of them don't have income, so I don't want a $2 co-pay being the reason that they can't get their blood pressure medicine.

So again, we have structure in place with our street medicine program to ensure that they can get their medication.

To learn more about the plight of people experiencing homelessness in the area, you can check out the PBS 39 Community Conversation.

Unhoused in the Lehigh Valley on the PBS 39 YouTube page.

That'll do it for this edition of living in the Lehigh Valley.

I'm Brittany Sweeney, hoping you stay happy and healthy.