Northwest Human Services’ homeless programs include its West Salem Medical, Dental, and Mental Health Clinics as well as its Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project (HOAP).

HOAP provides medication management, counseling, case management, payee services, and supported housing for homeless persons with chronic mental illnesses including schizophrenia and bipolar disease. HOAP provides basic day center services for the general homeless population, including access to laundry, showers, meals, telephone, clothing, hygiene items, and other assistance.

HOAP also operates its van three times a week to transport homeless persons from community-based shelters, service locations, and the streets, to the West Salem clinics to access primary care, dental, and mental health services at no charge to the client. Although times are specifically set aside in the clinics to see homeless clients who are transported on the van runs, homeless patients/clients are welcome at the clinics anytime.

Services

The West Salem Clinic and the Total Health Community Clinic provide primary health care and mental health care, using the services of a health care team comprising physicians, physician’s assistants, nurses, counselors, and outreach workers. In addition to providing primary care, NWHS serves as the entry point for social services for persons who are homeless.

Additional components of the NWHS program include the Homeless Outreach and Advocacy Project (coordinates outreach and comprehensive mental illness services, including dual diagnosis treatment), Homes Offering Shelters to Teens (assists runaway and homeless youth and their families), and Crisis and Information Hotline (provides 24 hour information) 24 hour emergency on-call, Asthma, Basic Needs, Behavioral Health Care Services, Blood Pressure Monitoring, Cancer Screening, Case Management/Social Services, Chronic Bronchitis/Emphysema, Contraceptives (issued w/counseling), Dental Care, Diabetes Testing/Care, Electronic Medical Records, Family Planning, Flu Vaccinations, Gynecology, Health/Nutritional Education, Hepatitis C screening/treatment, HIV/AIDS screening/education, Immunizations, Labs, Medications/Prescription, Mental Health Counseling, Mental Health Services for Youth, Mobile Van/Transportation, Multidisciplinary Health Teams, Obstetrics, Outreach, Pain Management Services, Pediatrics, Pharmacy, Physical Exams, Pneumococcal vaccine, Primary Health Care, Referrals for Specialty Care, Residential, Services in Supportive Housing, Smoking Cessation, Trauma, TB screening/education, Treatment of Acute Illness, Treatment of Chronic Illness, Urgent Care, Well Child Check-ups

Linkages

Linkages are in place with other agencies to provide substance abuse treatment.

Statistics

Estimated homeless population: 5,000

Patients served: 829