A Medical First For New Jersey Was Launched This Week By RWJ Barnabas Health
RWJ Barnabas Health Launches NJ’s First Ever Street Medicine Program to Serve Unhoused Population, Deliver Critical Care and Lower Mortality Rates.
It is a case of fiction becoming reality. If you watch the medical drama The Pitt, then you have seen their "street medicine team" going out of their hospital to treat those who are unable to get to the hospital for care.
Now New Jersey has its very own "street team" for the first time, thanks to the folks at RWJ Barnabas Health.
RWJ Barnabas Health this week launched New Jersey’s first Street Medicine Program at Trinitas Regional Medical Center in Elizabeth, NJ (TRMC) to bring essential care and services directly to unhoused individuals across the City of Elizabeth with the goal of expanding to other areas in the state to improve access to care among a particularly vulnerable population.
Through this initiative, RWJ Barnabas Health will deploy a highly trained medical team into the community to meet and care for patients where they are, while also connecting them to physical, mental, and behavioral health services, transportation, and local clinics for long-term health solutions. The team will travel around the city in a clearly marked van, visiting homeless shelters, transitional housing centers, and other spaces where people experiencing homelessness typically congregate.
“I’m excited that we are officially launching the Street Medicine Program and I look forward to helping lead this team,” said Edward Egan, MD, Medical Director, Street Medicine. “We know the unhoused population face disproportionate barriers to receiving the care they need. This program will make a meaningful difference in our patients’ lives and help prevent hospitalizations, ensuring we can continue to deliver world-class care to our patients at TRMC and support the broader Elizabeth community.”
Good luck to the street team in Elizabeth and if all goes well hopefully more cities will get this kind of help. Let's hope ultimately there will be less need than more for street medicine.
Thank you to all our health care workers and first responders who help NJ residents on a daily basis 24/7, THANK YOU
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