For many people experiencing homelessness, medical care is difficult to access. Without reliable transportation, a steady income or insurance, even routine checkups can be out of reach.
The University of Oklahoma is training the state's next generation of doctors to navigate those barriers and provide comprehensive care to unhoused patients through the Street Medicine and Advocacy Pathway at the OU College of Medicine.
The pathway, funded by a newly awarded more than $2 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration, immerses internal medicine and family medicine residents directly in the community clinics and homeless shelters that shape patients' health.
Only 24 primary care residency programs nationwide were selected to receive the five-year grant.
Corbin Lee is one of the first residents to move through the program. This year, he'll spend multiple weeks stationed at the Healing Hands clinic located inside the Homeless Alliance.
"I wanted to get more hands-on experience, kind of see what options are available to patients," Lee said.
People visiting the nonprofit's day shelter can sign up for walk-in appointments to see a healthcare professional at the clinic, have minor injuries treated, receive prescriptions or get referrals.
During his second day of the rotation in late April, Lee said he quickly realized that the work involves more than just traditional medical care. After he treated a woman's localized infection from stepping on a nail near the tent where she lives, he helped her start the process of applying for Medicaid. Along with ordering her antibiotics and an X-ray, clinic staff talked to her about local shelter options.
Doctor Mackenzie Gonzalez, a family medicine physician and co-leader of the Street Medicine pathway, said that helping a person meet their basic needs isn't always part of medical training.
"No one's ever really told you like, 'hey, this is how the system works, these are the partners that are currently working in this space in the community and this is how a physician could be useful,'" she said.
Gonzalez said working alongside social workers and care providers at local nonprofits can make it easier for doctors to connect patients with their services. She said it also helps residents get more comfortable anticipating common obstacles people experiencing homelessness face outside of the doctor's office.
"I wish I knew some of the things back then when I first started treating patients that I know now," she said. "I would have been able to connect people with some of those really core, preventive, problem-solving solutions."
At the clinic inside the Homeless Alliance, residents receive training from nurse practitioner Febi Mathew. She has been treating people experiencing homelessness for the last 22 years and is glad to see future doctors taking an interest in the work.
"I think they see what the social determinants of health issues are," she said. "I think they see hands-on how they can address their needs."
In 2026, 1,867 people were counted as experiencing homelessness in the Oklahoma City metro, according to an annual survey conducted by the city. Of that total, 375 people reported living with a serious mental illness, 192 reported substance use disorders and 139 reported having HIV/AIDS. Each condition is treatable, but can be destabilizing without access to proper care. Multiple studies have found that people experiencing homelessness have shorter life expectancies than people who are housed.
Mathew said a doctor's appointment can be the first step a person takes toward housing or employment. Her office is directly next to a large, air-conditioned room where visitors can get a meal or find relief from the summer sun. A shuttle takes people back and forth from the shelter to pick up their medicines at a local pharmacy that agreed to waive some prescription fees for clinic patients.
"Everybody has a past," Mathew said. "And so I always say, how can we help you have a better present and a future?"
For Felicia Garza, that meant getting emotional support letters for her two dogs. The doctor's note will allow her to bring her pets to her new apartment — which is the first home she's had since she got out of prison about a year ago.
Garza said comprehensive care, connected to the Homeless Alliance, helped her get back on her feet after a period of instability. She said she's been sober for the first time in her adult life.
"It's just not just this clinic, but this whole ordeal, this whole organization has helped me," she said. "It's changed my whole life."
Cameron Kirkendoll is another early participant in the Street Medicine pathway. For him, the decision to apply was as much about the kind of physician he wants to be as an exploration of his past. Kirkendoll grew up watching his parents navigate addiction and homelessness and understands the challenges that can keep people trapped in a cycle.
"It almost feels like I'm like, in a selfish way, understanding myself and understanding, you know, where I came from," he said.
He and Lee said being part of the new OU program will shape how they treat patients during future shifts in the emergency room and, down the line, as practicing doctors.
"They really want to be heard; to feel like their needs actually matter," Kirkendoll said.
This report was produced by the Oklahoma Public Media Exchange, a collaboration of public media organizations. Help support collaborative journalism by donating at the link at the top of this webpage.
