Research Guides: Street Medicine: Street Medicine

Welcome to the Street Medicine Guide

This collection of resources supports the information needs of USC clinical faculty and students who work to bring "street medicine", or inclusion health, to vulnerable populations experiencing homelessness or the ability to access the health care continuum. See also the following LibGuides:

Clinical Professionals
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (Health-specific DEI guide is in development)
LGBTQIA+ Health and Cultural Competency
Physician Assistant (PA) Program

Equity Based Primary Care Rotation in Street Medicine Reading List

We are so excited for your upcoming Equity Based Primary Care rotation in Street Medicine. This rotation is part of the USE PeaCE (Underserved Equity Based Primary Care Education) project. We have been preparing our ‘sister sites’ to take students for the last year. Because it is grant related and a special area of focus for the program, there are a few additional supports and activities related to your time.

Preparation and More Information about Street Medicine

HOUSED BEDS - this is an intake tool that we use, and update, for patients to help us better understand their reality and access to the basics like bathrooms, food, water etc.
Understanding Encampments - this is a great read to familiarize yourself with the world of encampments, and encampment clearing strategies.
Measure H and Prop HHH - Please check out this link to watch a 4 minute video that explained H and HHH funding, and what it is used for. The explosion of street outreach teams is largely due to this funding source! (Chapter 5, episode 3). If you have the time/interest, scroll to the top of the page and brows the other chapters that give some great explanations of the landscape of homeless services in LA.
Read: Applying the Gelberg-Andersen Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations to Health Services Utilization in Homeless Women
TEDTalks- More important that what we do on the street, is how we do it. These two talks will help you better understand the values and philosophy of Street Medicine. (Brett Feldman and Jim Withers) Each are about 18 minutes long.
- Street Medicine: Caring for the Homeless with Radical Humility
- The Street Medicine Movement | Jim Withers | TEDxPittsburgh
Invisible People – Required viewing Los Angeles. Recommened but not Required Oakland, Bakersfield, Redding.

- the USC Street Medicine Project Team

USC Street Medicine Team News

USC Street Medicine
The Keck School of Medicine of USC Street Medicine is an emerging collaboration of interdisciplinary healthcare professionals that aims to improve care for the homeless while advocating for healthcare justice in Los Angeles through medical and social service outreach and research.

Parke Street Medicine Catalogue

The parkestreet collection of books is kept onsite at the USC Street Medicine Alhambra building.

Other Web Resources

California Health Care Foundation CHCF helps Californians with low incomes get the health care they need. Priorities: Health Equity, Universal Coverage, Workforce and CalAIM. Publications include California Street Medicine Landscape Survey and Report and other studies focused on homelessness.
Corporation for Supportive Housing Supportive housing combines affordable housing with services that help people who face the most complex challenges to live with stability, autonomy and dignity. Search the CSH Resource Library.
Health Center Resources Clearinghouse The Health Center Resource Clearinghouse addresses the competing demands placed on a busy public health workforce by providing a broad framework of resources, tools, and supports to facilitate professionals’ ability to access and utilize critical resources.
Homeless Health Care Los Angeles HHCLA helps people wherever they are on their journey, both physically and spiritually, without judgment. We’re the largest harm reduction organization in the US. We provide needle exchange, overdose reversal kits with naloxone, linkages to housing, hygiene services, medical and behavioral health services.
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Annual Homeless Assessment Report (AHAR) report to the U.S. Congress that provides nationwide estimates of homelessness, including information about the demographic characteristics of homeless persons, service use patterns, and the capacity to house homeless persons. The report is based on Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) data about persons who experience homelessness during a 12-month period, point-in-time counts of people experiencing homelessness on one day in January, and data about the inventory of shelter and housing available in a community.
LAHSA 2022 Homeless Count Data The 2022 Los Angeles County homeless count report is not yet posted but is linked to here.
Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority LAHSA is the lead agency in the Los Angeles Continuum of Care, which is the regional planning body that coordinates housing and services for homeless families and individuals in Los Angeles County. LAHSA coordinates and manages over $800 million annually in federal, state, county, and city funds for programs that provide shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness.
Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) Homeless Resources The Los Angeles Public Library helps connect residents who are experiencing homelessness with resources to help them transition to stable, independent or supported living. This site will help you find work, food, housing and many other helpful services near our library branches in the City of Los Angeles. WIN is a free app and mobile website that connects anyone who is homeless or struggling to find free resources and services. The Source events offer help in person.
National Center for Medical Legal Partnership Medical-legal partnerships integrate the unique expertise of lawyers into health care settings to help clinicians, case managers, and social workers address structural problems at the root of so many health inequities.
National Health Care for the Homeless Council Grounded in human rights and social justice, the NHCHC mission is to build an equitable, high-quality health care system through training, research, and advocacy in the movement to end homelessness.
National Institute for Medical Respite Care The National Institute for Medical Respite Care (NIMRC) is the first national institute to advance best practices, expert services, and state-of-the-field knowledge in medical respite care (also known as recuperative care). Internal staff, consultants, and consulting teams address a range of principles and practices in creating or expanding medical respite care programs.
Street Medicine Institute **PAID SUBSCRIPTION REQUIRED TO ACCESS RESOURCES** The Street Medicine Institute (SMI) facilitates and enhances the direct provision of health care to the unsheltered homeless where they live. SMI does this by providing communities and clinicians with expert training, guidance, and support to develop and grow their own Street Medicine programs.
USC Initiative to Eliminate Homelessness Collection of resources from the 2016-2021 USC initiative.