Healthcare for the Homeless welcomes everybody

Program serves vital role in caring for people experiencing homelessness

Patients usually are waiting on weekday mornings when Misty LaFranier, RN, and Tammy LaFountain, RN, open Healthcare for the Homeless (HCH).

Cold, tired and hungry people receive immediate attention for their healthcare needs along with hot coffee and snacks from the RiverStone Health staff at the 2424 First Ave. N. clinic. Tuesday and Thursday morning outreach clinics at the St. Vincent de Paul day shelter, 3005 First Ave. N., are even busier.

The nurses see patients who need wound care, patients who are dehydrated, who have frostbite in winter and painful sunburn in summer. Mental illnesses and substance use disorders are common.

“The patients we deal with have very complex needs,” Tammy explained. “These people are fighting for their lives. If they just come in our door, it’s a big win for us.” Each patient requires significant time for evaluation and treatment.

Patients are people of all ages who are doubling up in housing with friends or relatives, people living in motels, shelters or on the street.

RiverStone Health offers primary medical care, behavioral health and dental care at no charge to the 1,375 patients enrolled in HCH. In addition to Tammy and Misty, the staff includes addiction and mental health counselors and physician assistants.

“We meet them where they are. We try not to put up barriers,” said Misty, HCH program manager. Transportation is the No. 1 barrier. Few HCH patients have their own transportation, so HCH gets them cabs to healthcare appointments.

“The majority of our patients are Native. Misty and I are Native, so it opens the door and draws people in,” Tammy said, adding that she and Misty are members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.

“It’s powerful for our tribe to have two Native nurses. Our patients are proud of us,” said Misty. “When they come in, we’re here to listen. We end up being their support. They often come to us feeling rejected and like nobody listens,” Misty said. “We welcome anybody and everybody.”

When you make a gift to the RiverStone Health Foundation, you support the vital health programs we provide to people in need in our community. Please consider designating your gift to assist us in serving Tammy and Misty’s HCH patients.

To make a gift in support of our care of people experiencing homelessness, visit RiverStoneHealth.org/