Street Health Outreach & Wellness Mobile Units Offer Services to Over 100,000 Unique New Yorkers
SHOW mobile units have provided over 50,000 COVID tests, 23,000 social worker engagements, 10,000 medical consultations and 5,000 vaccinations to New Yorkers, with a focus on those experiencing homelessness
Jan 20, 2022
The NYC Test & Trace Corps announced today that its Street Health Outreach & Wellness (SHOW) mobile units have offered services to over 100,000 unique New Yorkers, with a focus on people experiencing homelessness. To date, those services include 50,000 COVID tests, 23,000 social worker engagements, 10,000 medical consultations, and over 5,000 vaccinations.
“The Street Health Outreach and Wellness teams have brought vital health and social services to New Yorkers who were previously without access,” said Dr. Ted Long, Executive Director of the NYC Test & Trace Corps and Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Care and Population Health at NYC Health + Hospitals. “SHOW has now provided over a hundred thousand New Yorkers with COVID-19 resources as well as medical and behavioral health care, and broadened our reach to homeless New Yorkers living on the street. The program is an example of an innovative effort that began under COVID-19 that has grown into a grassroots approach to providing street medicine that will continue to offer critical primary and behavioral health care to our most vulnerable New Yorkers far after the pandemic has ended.”
“SHOW offers a gateway to the healthcare system for New Yorkers who may have otherwise not found a way in, providing referrals to social and mental health services, primary care, and life-saving COVID-19 testing and vaccinations,” said Dr. Amanda K. Johnson, Director of Take Care at the NYC Test & Trace Corps and Assistant Vice President of Ambulatory Care and Population Health at NYC Health + Hospitals. “As evidenced by the number of repeat patients the program has recently seen, we endeavor to provide a consistent, reliable presence and establish ongoing relationships. The many patients we’ve treated and relationships we’ve forged speaks to the compassionate work of our staff, who hit the streets mile after mile to make sure all New Yorkers receive the care they need.”
The SHOW program deploys a fleet of six mobile health units across New York City to meet people historically disconnected from a continuum of care where they are, engage them, and invite them in for care without appointments or other barriers. In addition to offering vaccinations and no-cost COVID-19 and flu testing, patients are assessed for other needed care, including physical and mental health screenings and harm reduction services.
Since the program began, over 50,000 tests have been administered and nearly 5,000 New Yorkers have been vaccinated. Social workers have engaged over 23,000 people, providing consultation and referrals to housing, mental health and substance use disorder counseling, financial benefits, employment and connection to clinical care services, including the Primary Care Safety Net Clinic at NYC Health + Hospitals / Bellevue, a program designed to care for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness with medical comorbidities and/or behavioral health needs.
SHOW has facilitated over 10,000 medical consultations with specialists, RNs and paramedics, including wound care and routine wellness checks, and provided over 5,000 additional New Yorkers with medical and hygienic resources, including Hepatitis A vaccinations, Narcan kits, hygiene bags, socks and meal packages.
“Partnering with NYC Health + Hospitals to reach 100,000 unique patients is a tremendous milestone, and further validation of the success of this visionary program,” said Anthony Capone, President of DocGo. “DocGo is committed to bringing care to patients where and when they need it most. We hope additional municipalities follow New York City’s lead, and deploy similar initiatives to ensure their most vulnerable populations are receiving these vital healthcare services.”
SHOW’s six street outreach teams, stationed with each mobile unit, include clinical staff, a paramedic and social worker who are able to walk nearby streets, subways and parks to bring resources to people where they are, including those who are disabled or otherwise not be able to reach our mobile locations. Ninety percent of people this group of on-the-ground professionals engages are New Yorkers experiencing homelessness.
In addition, in November 2021, about a quarter of SHOW patients had previously been tested or received a consultation through SHOW.
SHOW mobile units are deployed to high-need areas in New York City Tuesday through Saturday from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. For the most up-to-date information about mobile site locations and scheduling, please visit the Street Health Outreach & Wellness Mobile Units website.