SPOKANE, Wash. — The City of Spokane and CHAS Health are planning to expand street medicine outreach to more homeless people in the city.
According to the city, the Washington State Legislature awarded $1 million to the city to have street medicine teams provide treatment to homeless people as a way to avoid emergency room visits and prevent further crises.
The CHAS Health Street Medicine team provides medical treatments, referrals and resource navigation to those in the community. The city said this new funding will expand the team’s hours of operation.
“The CHAS Street Medicine team does incredible work and provides crucial services to those experiencing homelessness, battling substance abuse disorder, and suffering from mental health challenges in Spokane. As the City works toward better solutions for our unhoused population, it is imperative that we provide them with health care services,” Spokane Mayor Lisa Brown said.
Anwar Peace, a homeless outreach volunteer, said the street medicine team is crucial to helping Spokane’s homeless population.