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Mobile clinic brings healthcare to the streets for people experiencing homelessness

ROANOKE, Va. – The Fralin Free Clinic is expanding its services for the homeless and people experiencing homelessness with its new mobile outreach unit.

“We’ve had really good feedback. People love that we’re bringing all the comforts of the clinic right out to them on the street,” said Director of Healthcare Pam Milkowski with the Fralin Free Clinic.

The mobile outreach unit provides the same services as the Fralin Free Clinic, but instead of people coming to the center, they go directly to them. It has medical, mental health, phlebotomy and rapid STD testing.

“One of the things that drew me to the Fralin Free Clinic was not only the opportunity to be in the clinic working with homeless and at risk of homelessness but also in the community right at their doorstep,” said R.N. Emily Bell with the Fralin Free Clinic.

The Fralin Free Clinic started using the mobile outreach unit about two months ago. So far, they have helped about 30 people.

“Taking our mobile unit out to the people is reaching them where they’re at instead of them expecting to come to us. They already live in a moment of crisis and to ask one more thing of them, meaning come to our clinic and jump through these hoops, is one more thing they have to do when they’re living in this lifestyle right now. So, we’re coming to them. We’re taking the pressure off,” said Milkowski.

Milkowski said the goal of the mobile outreach unit is to get them housed.

“The goal is to get them stabilized. So, if it’s a mental health issue and we keep coming back to them and gaining their trust and giving them medications and stuff, the hope is that they will get mentally stable and then the next resource would be hey let’s get you sheltered. Whether it be here at the Rescue Mission, or another organization gets them sheltered,” said Milkowski.

She also said the mobile unit helps to lessen the amount of emergency room visits. If people go to the emergency room and they can’t afford it, then taxpayers are picking up the bill.

“So, if people are going to the emergency room and they can’t afford it, we’re picking up the bill. So, with having the mobile unit we are hopefully cutting down on some of those emergency room visits and again treating them right there, and it’s about gaining trust and they’re not as likely to let whatever health issue go as far as they would have in the past because they didn’t want to go to the emergency department,” said Milkowski.

The Fralin Free Clinic has medical providers Monday through Friday. They help people with medical, dental and mental health. People can even pick up their medications here.

The group also does outreach in the community.

“We have a handful of places that we go on Williamson Road. We have churches that sponsor us, and we set up clinics out in the parking lot or within their buildings, said Milkowski.

The clinic also participates in the Downtown Ambassadors Program.

The Fralin Free Clinic, along with other groups that help people who are unsheltered, talk with people who are homeless in Downtown Roanoke and provide them with referrals if they need help getting back on their feet.

Downtown Roanoke Inc.’s Director of Marking and Communications Izzy Post said the Downtown Ambassadors Program is managed by Block by Block, which is a nationwide organization that does different downtown ambassador programs throughout the country.

The Homeless Assistance Team (HAT) and the Ram House also participate in the Downtown Ambassadors Program.

The walks typically take place on Fridays, and it was created a little more than two years ago.

“We wanna make sure that Downtown Roanoke is the premier place to live, work and play and that means having it clean, safe, and welcoming so we wanna make sure that all of our business owners, all of our residents, all of our visitors have a place that they wanna go and that those who are unsheltered also have the services that they need to help get them back on their feet,” said Post.


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About the Author
Keshia Lynn headshot

Keshia Lynn is a Multimedia Journalist for WSLS. She was born and raised in Maryland and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Law and Society from American University and a Master’s degree in Mass Communication from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.