Family medicine residents learn about street medicine
Family medicine residents learn about street medicine
Family medicine residents spent their afternoon on Thursday, Oct. 23, 2025, working with standardized patients and learning how to deliver care to unhoused and underserved populations.
The residents began learning the ins and outs of street medicine, a field that focuses on increasing access to compassionate care for homeless populations outside of a hospital or clinic setting, while reducing social determinants of health that contribute to poor health outcomes.
“These patients face a lot of challenges in getting the care that they need,” says Rhonda Verzal, MD, FAAFP, an associate professor and director of the UICOMR Family Medicine Residency Program. “They have a very high level of morbidity and mortality, and we have the ability to bring care to them and meet them where they are.”
Residents were split into groups on the lawn of the UIC Rockford campus, and they learned what it’s like working with patients who suffer from various issues, including withdrawal and wound infection. The residents also learned about various medications and how they could treat patients with homelessness. They also got acclimated with the supplies inside a mobile van, which is used on street runs.
The residents also had a chance to ask questions to Daysia Dismuke, director of the Jubilee Center Director, one of the program’s first partners in the community.
“We’re teaching our residents how to practice street medicine, learn what that means and what that can being to patients who are suffering from homelessness,” Verzal says. “Some of the objectives are how to approach a patient, how to gain respect and how to have a nonjudgmental approach to developing a treatment plan for a homeless patient.”