Picture from ZVMS' Dermatology Clinic in November 2024.
United Way of Olmsted County and the Zumbro Valley Medical Society (ZVMS) share a core belief: every member of our community deserves to be as healthy as possible. By providing our most vulnerable neighbors with the resources they need, we can improve the health and quality of life for everyone in our area.
That’s why United Way has partnered with ZVMS to support their Street Medicine program.
Four years ago, ZVMS, a professional membership organization of 3,000 physicians and physicians-in-training, established ZVMS Street Medicine. This program brings together physicians, medical students, community partners, and individuals with lived experience to address the complex medical needs of unhoused individuals and improve their overall care.
Expanding Access to Health
The ZVMS Street Medicine program tackles healthcare disparities through three key strategies:
1. Providing Direct Patient Care
ZVMS Street Medicine strives to meet people where they are, rather than in traditional clinical settings. Through Street Rounds & Community Clinics, ZVMS Street Medicine works to eliminate the barriers that prevent unhoused people from accessing conventional healthcare services.
2. Training Future Healthcare Providers
ZVMS also focuses on educating the next generation of healthcare providers. Through a Street Medicine selective (optional elective), students at Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine gain hands-on experience providing compassionate care in nontraditional settings – and to populations they might not have the opportunity to connect with regularly. Over 70% of this year’s 1st-year medical school class is taking the Street Medicine selective.
3. Advocating for Change
ZVMS recognizes that improving healthcare for vulnerable populations also requires broader changes. For that reason, they work to change systems and processes so that they better serve those with the greatest need. For example, in 2024, ZVMS Street Medicine cofounded The TABLE (Team of Advisors Bringing Lived Experience), a group of people with lived experience of houselessness. These advisors provide input on programs, projects, and policies for ZVMS and the community in general.
Healthcare Outside the Clinic
One of ZVMS Street Medicine’s cornerstones is its street rounds. Teams of physicians, medical students, social workers, and individuals who have experienced homelessness visit people in their own environments—whether that's under bridges, in encampments, or on the streets. Through these interactions, these teams not only provide immediate care but also connect individuals with vital social services.
Another key activity is ZVMS Street Medicine’s community clinics. These clinics begin with one-day events, such as a foot care clinic. They then evolve into smaller drop-in clinics at additional locations, such as the weekly foot soaks a physician and medical student provide at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House.
Partnering for Our Most Vulnerable
United Way of Olmsted County is proud to fund some of these clinics, including the eye care clinic that ZVMS Street Medicine held at Christ United Methodist Church in June 2024 and the dermatology clinics in April and November 2024. The community clinics have reached over 400 people, providing them with comprehensive eye exams, prescription eyeglasses, or dermatologic services – all at no cost.
Dr. Annie King, a participating resident physician, emphasized importance of the community clinics when speaking with a KAAL reporter: “It’s something that I feel we have a moral obligation to do as physicians, pretty strongly, so I’m just always looking for opportunities to kind of ground our practice in our community and reach people who might need us, particularly a specialist in dermatology, we are more difficult to see, so we recognize that and are trying to address that need.”
Kathryn Xu, a Mayo Clinic medical student who helped create the dermatology clinics, reflected on the need for such services with the same reporter: “These aren’t like the typical patients that you would usually see in a clinic, especially for dermatology because a lot of people with lower socioeconomic status or unhoused populations are not able to get dermatological care.”
Overall, through its Street Medicine program, ZVMS and United Way are not only providing immediate healthcare services but also building a more compassionate and inclusive healthcare system for all people in our community.
Learn more about ZVMS Street Medicine at https://zvms.org/street-medicine-initiative/