The Michigan State University Street Medicine Program will be expanding this summer.
Beginning on July 14, Traverse City Street Medicine will offer its services to residents of Cadillac. Then, after Labor Day, the program will expand into Kalkaska.
The Street Medicine Program provides rural communities access to healthcare by bringing a mobile medical unit to areas of need.
The unit, which appears to be an average van from the outside, houses a fully-stocked doctor’s office on wheels.
David Klee is the community associate dean of the MSU College of Human Medicine Traverse City campus and associate program director for the MSU-affiliated Munson Family Residency Program.
Klee spoke to the MSU Board of Trustees Wednesday during a retreat to explain the need for accessible medical care in Michigan and how the Street Medicine program meets that need.
The program’s guiding principle is to “go to the people,” which is reflected in its mobile setup, he said. He added that the program’s flexible, multimodal approach will be carried over to the newly expanded coverage areas.
“We want to have connection between our medical, our mental health groups and our housing groups,” Klee said. “And so, when we bring those three prongs together, we can really provide more wrap-around care for patients.”
The retreat also unveiled a new piece of technology used for ultrasound training for residents in the program, the Vimedix Ultrasound trainer.
Kelly Clark, family medicine physician at Munson Medical Center, said that the trainer replaces previously used textbooks and screens, allowing a more realistic experience for the trainees. Traverse City Street Medicine previously served residents of the Pines, a homeless encampment on city parkland near Munson Medical Center.
The Pines were cleared out by Traverse City Police last month in accordance with the city’s no-camping ordinance, which was enforced on May 6.
Klee said that the disbursement of individuals from the encampment has impacted the program’s ability to provide centralized care for and “track down” those in need.
He said that the program had to adjust, now connecting with individuals at Safe Harbor, Jubilee House at Goodwill and Northern Michigan Goodwill Inn.
In terms of locating their patients, Klee said Traverse City Street Medicine partners with the outreach community from Goodwill Northern Michigan and utilizes a patient liaison to “keep tabs” on those receiving its medical care.
The program is also involved in a system that ensures whenever an individual in their care is hospitalized, they are admitted to its Munson Family residency program.
Tyler Strauss, a third-year medical student with Michigan State University’s College of Human Medicine, said that the Street Medicine Program gives people a chance to be seen by a doctor, a service that many take for granted.
“I’m really excited (to be) able to throw a wider net for the community,” Strauss said. “That we’re able to help the homeless community that has definitely grown not only nationwide, but in particular in Michigan and in these northern Michigan counties. So I’m just excited to get this growing population the care that they need.”
This story was produced by the Michigan News Group Internship Program, a collaboration between WCMU Public Media and local newspapers in central and northern Michigan. The program’s mission is to train the next generation of journalists and combat the rise of rural news deserts.
