Dayton Daily News: Boonshoft School of Medicine, Premier Health receive $2.5M to provide care to people experiencing homelessness

Wright State University’s Boonshoft School of Medicine and Premier Health, which have a 30-year affiliation agreement, received a $2.5 million federal grant to expand Dayton Street Medicine, a program delivering primary care directly to people experiencing homelessness.

The five-year Health Resources and Services Administration Family Medicine Education Training Grant is the first of its kind in Ohio, and it will help the program provide care for more patients, as well as train additional medical students and residents.

“Our program stood out because of our long-standing commitment to community-based care, our robust resident training infrastructure and our established cross-sector partnerships,” said Dr. Anna Squibb, program director of family medicine and addiction medicine at Premier Health and medical director of Dayton Street Medicine.

The Dayton Street Medicine is a collaboration between the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Premier Health, Premier Community Health and the Dayton Dream Center, and it launched in 2025 with support from the OneOhio Recovery Foundation.

It currently operates one half-day a week from the Premier Health Mobile Clinic at the Dream Center, on East Third Street, bringing health screenings and primary medical care to people who face overlapping challenges, such as chronic illness, behavioral health conditions and substance use, compounded by unstable housing.

Along with medical services, the program connects patients to resources and social support.

In its first year, Dayton Street Medicine has delivered 448 clinical visits and 313 health screenings, serving about 300 people, according to a press release from Wright State.

Program continues to grow

This summer, Dayton Street Medicine will add two new service days. One will extend care to a rural setting through a new partnership with the Bethany Center in Piqua and Miami County Public Health.

“Bringing street medicine to a rural setting is both a natural next step and a meaningful opportunity. It allows us to better serve communities with limited access to care while giving our learners firsthand experience navigating the complexities — and rewards — of practicing medicine in underserved areas,” said Marietta Orlowski, a professor of population and public health sciences at Wright State and the director of Dayton Street Medicine’s Rural Initiatives.

The second will launch street rounds, bringing a care team to individuals who may not reach either location by focusing outreach in high-needs areas in Dayton.

Each outreach team will include a family medicine physician, a peer recovery supporter and a program coordinator who is also a certified medical assistant, along with medical students and family medicine residents.

Medical students learn ‘to practice medicine outside the box’

Medical students, residents and addiction medicine fellows learn not only clinical skills but also how to understand and navigate patients’ lives outside the exam room. The program has created a highly innovative and immersive learning experience for students, said Sydney Silverstein, associate professor of population and public health sciences and the director of outreach, engagement and community partnerships at Dayton Street Medicine.

Seeing the struggles of patients of Dayton Street Medicine has motivated more medical students to seek out careers caring for people in similar situations, she said.

Medical student Beth Ekeh said the program reframed her understanding of what medicine can be and taught her about the challenges patients face outside of traditional clinical settings.

“I have learned how to practice medicine outside the box,” Ekeh said. “Dayton Street Medicine has illustrated how we can address barriers to provide comprehensive and compassionate care for our patients.”

‘I want to be someone that patients can trust’

For fellow medical student Isabelle Fox, the lessons included more than techniques.

“Delivering care on the mobile bus has helped me problem solve and work through providing medical care without the full scope of resources at our fingertips,” Fox said.

The experience also influenced her approach to medicine, Fox said.

“One of the biggest takeaways for me is that I want to be someone that patients can trust and feel comfortable with, especially those who may be hesitant to seek care because of prior negative experiences or stigma,” she said.

Dayton Street Medicine’s impact is designed to grow. As Boonshoft School of Medicine graduates and residents take street medicine training into practices, the program’s model travels with them.

“As graduates enter practice across Ohio, they will carry this training forward, expanding access to compassionate, community-based care beyond the Miami Valley,” Squibb said.

Through its academic affiliation with the Boonshoft School of Medicine, Premier Health is an academic health system comprised of five inpatient hospital campuses in the Dayton region, employing more than 10,000 people.

Premier Health’s Miami Valley Hospital is the region’s only level I trauma center. The health system also includes an urgent care network, a physicians network, and laboratory and home health services.

Read the article at daytondailynews.com.