During one of the first appointments on a recent day, registered nurse Nicole Coye hopped from the van she drives the streets, tending to folks, and was quickly engulfed in a hug by her next patient, Carrie Firestein.
Firestein, who has been homeless for more than eight years, and her partner Joel Spillman, who has been homeless for more than three years, say the “doctors office on wheels” has been a blessing for them.
“It’s really cool that they do this because getting to our doctor appointments, it would never happen,” Spillman said. “If we were more stable with housing, then it would be easier because we can plan things.”
Organized by CalOptima Health, in partnership with the city of Garden Grove and Healthcare in Action, the street medicine team Coye travels with is there to not just check vitals and that medications are working, its members are also equipped to help with a number of social services.
And they are a caring face in a day of harsh realities.
“These guys are a blessing,” Spillman said, “because they don’t just help with medical stuff.”
Dennette Schwab, who has been homeless for 13 years, is on “a hugging basis with most of these people.
“That’s how awesome they are for everybody who needs medical help,” Schwab said. “They check on me all the time. They helped me get my birth certificate. They stop by the park where I hang out, check my blood pressure and make sure I’m in good shape. I’ve grown real close to these guys.”
Getting medical care, Schwab said, would be nearly impossible without this program.
“They actually do pay attention to you when you’re talking to them. They’re very kind. I’ve never seen any of them get upset with anybody,” Schwab said of how important that was in earning her trust. “It makes it really nice to have them here, like a breath of fresh air.”
Schwab laughed looking back at those initial days meeting the team.
“I hadn’t even gone to a doctor. I don’t…
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