Out in the heat with nowhere to go — that’s the reality for hundreds of people in San Antonio without shelter.
Out in the heat with nowhere to go — that’s the reality for hundreds of people in San Antonio without shelter.
Corazon Ministries hopes its new mobile medical unit will connect people without shelter to higher levels of medical care, especially during the Texas Summer.
Madelein Santibanez, the senior director of harm reduction and health at Corazon Ministries, said they are “helping individuals who are someone’s daughter, someone’s son, someone’s dad, someone’s mom. If given the right resources and support, (they) can make it out of the grips of addiction and homelessness.”
The unit was unveiled at the end of March, and KSAT covered the opening day. It started rolling out in April.
Here’s the rough data from the first month:
- Total clients seen: 186
- Total used syringes collected: 3,590
- Total hygiene kits handed out: 111
- Total safe injection kits handed out: 2,309
- Total wound care kits handed out: 189
- Total safe sex kits handed out: 134
- Total packaged Narcan doses distributed: 220
- Total treated wound care: 25
- Total medical testing: 6
“We set up and create these hubs at locations throughout the city,” Santibanez said.
Right now, the unit is three days a week. Corazon’s outreach team works five days a week.
One of their clients is a woman named Shannon, who said this kind of treatment is more important than ever because of the heat.
“It literally restored my faith in humanity,” Shannon, who is experiencing homelessness, said. “It’s just rough, and we need support. We need people to help.”
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