To build trust among LA’s unhoused, a street medicine team turns to technology
For hundreds of unhoused people in Los Angeles, technology offered by a trusted local street medicine team offer a crucial lifeline to health care.
LOS ANGELES — On an unusually cold and rainy Los Angeles afternoon, physician assistant Robert Finch is crouched in front of a man living in a pedestrian tunnel. It’s the first time they’ve met, after a local nonprofit asked Finch and his colleagues on a street medicine team to check in on the man’s mental and physical health. A few minutes into their conversation, Finch offers the man a black handheld GPS tracker on a lanyard to wear around his neck.
With the offer comes reassurance: the tracker is completely optional, and solely so the health care team can check up on him periodically for routine visits or in case of medical emergency. Patients can press a button to send a pre-programmed, customizable message to the team, such as letting them know they’re OK, or requesting help as soon as possible.
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