To expand health care for homeless people in New York City as well as bolster emergency preparedness, Care for the Homeless (CFH) will soon launch their newly renovated Mobile Health Clinic, which was upgraded with support from Direct Relief through the Sandy Safety Net Fund.

“Who better to assist in a disaster than Care for the Homeless? Our everyday work, in many ways, resembles disaster treatment. We frequently serve patients who arrive in personal crisis, without identification or medical records,” said CFH Executive Director, Bobby Watts.

“We’re grateful to Direct Relief for funding this project. It makes perfect sense that our teams should join first responders,” he added.

CFH coordinates health care at 36 service sites in four of New York’s five boroughs and is the only organization in New York City dedicated solely to serving homeless individuals and families living on the streets and in shelters.

After Hurricane Sandy, it became increasingly clear that a more efficient mode of health care delivery was essential. The mobile clinic not only allows their team to deliver medical care to people in need on a regular basis, but it also boosts CFH’s capacity to respond to future emergencies.

Initially, the Mobile Health Clinic will travel to two sites with high need in the South Bronx, where more than 1,000 men, women, and children sleep in shelters every night.

In the event of an emergency, the Mobile Health Clinic is not limited to serving homeless people, but will provide care for anyone affected.