Street medicine in action
Homeless patients have lengthier inpatient stays and return to the ER at a higher percentage than housed individuals. Returning to the ER to remove staples and sutures creates an additional burden (transportation and employment) to the patient and adds unnecessary expense to the local medical system.
Removal of sutures or staples, by a medical professional in the field, with sterile equipment,
While working as an ICU nurse, and paramedic, our founders began to see a pattern in homeless healthcare. 80% of homeless patients who accessed 911 or emergency care presented with conditions that could have easily been resolved with preventive and early/acute care.
In this photo, Cindy our paramedic, is assembling a waterproof, customized first aid kit to provide needed supplies for this man's
Cleaning and bandaging wounds ON THE SPOT!
Without medical insurance, primary care, and the other resources needed to navigate appointments, people often get tossed and lost within the medical system. Our name, On The Spot Aid, defines the type of care we provide; in the moment, on the spot, with assessments, interventions, education and supplies