CSUSB-Palm Desert receives $100k grant to expand ‘street medicine’ program
Athena Jreij
PALM DESERT, Calif. (KESQ) – A new $100,000 grant from the Houston Family Foundation will widely expand the ‘Nursing Street Medicine’ program at California State University San Bernardino, Palm Desert.
The program serves underserved populations, with targeted clinics on the street helping vulnerable populations, including those experiencing homelessness.
“We do vital signs and wound care if they have anything that needs it. We also do medication assistance so we find medications for them, we do medication review with them also,” Executive Director of the program, Diane Vines, said.
According to CSUSB-PD, the grant will fund three new clinics, the treatment of 700 individuals and 1,200 annual patient contacts, train 35 students annually, and focus more on mental health outreach.
Officials say more than half of those they treat have both mental health and substance abuse issues.
“We’re really hoping to start collaborating more with the mobile van to get more medications out in the field where the people are. A lot of the clients that we see suffer from severe mental health issues, and it’s a very big challenge to get medications. For example, patients with schizophrenia really suffer and have a hard time getting medications,” Samantha Duffle, the program director said.
Duffle says the funding comes as the needs of the homeless population they treat are also growing.
“There’s a large amount of homeless that we don’t even see. A lot of times the ‘point in time’ counts that are reported aren’t reflective of how many unhoused individuals there are in the Coachella Valley. Something unique about the services we provide is we do know where they’re at, and we have developed this long standing trust with them.”
It’s a win-win for students who are also getting hands-on experience in the field.
“They grow with empathy. They grow with leadership. They grow their communication,” Duffle said.
CSUSB-PD nursing student Nicole Corona said it’s also improved her confidence in treating patients.
“I was very interested in community health and I think that I had to start somewhere. I was able to see a lot of patient communication, see how well a lot of our, nursing students get to practice their skills,” Corona said.
If you’d like to find more information on the program’s pop-up clinics, visit: CSUSB PD STREET MEDICINE.