Community Engagement: A Ride- Along with the CDU and Kedren Health Street Medicine Team
This brief chronicle highlights the very important work advancing the importance of medical health outreach through the CDU Kedren Street Medicine Program- Editor.
7:30 AM: Departure On this sunny Saturday morning, I had been instructed by Prof. Cynthia Davis and the Rev. Dawnesha Beaver, two of the primary Street Medicine team oversight leaders, to be at the CDU campus parking lot where I would first accompany the team to the football field at Dorsey High School on Obama Boulevard just east of La Brea Avenue. There, a training camp for youth was taking place.
The drive to Dorsey was an opportunity to meet Jerry Solis, mobile vehicle driver and COVID-19 test distributor. Accompanying him were registration checkin lead Luciana Duren-Watson and case manager Tonja Porter. The mini-van that transported the team was very utilitarian with its collection of supplies and medication treating a variety of maladies that might be encountered during the day, ranging from COVID-19 kits to HIV testing devices and Narcan nasal spray. Also along for the ride were blood pressure and glucose measurement machines, take-home COVID tests, HIV test kits and condoms.
According to Prof. Davis,“ The program makes available COVID-19 immunizations, COVID-19 bivalent booster shots, high blood pressure screenings, HgA1C screening, cholesterol screening and the 20-minute Ora Quick HIV screening test. Educational outreach includes Fentanyl and Narcan education and risk reduction.”
At Dorsey, the team was met by Kedren RNs Fabiola Frannsisque and Yana Horowitz, who performed the hands-on work of testing and client care; and Marqui Barber, EMT / Clinical Lead. During the day, with the variety of health conditions that might be encountered through this effort to bring services to people most in need, it became readily evident that street medicine is another indispensable innovation that the CDU Kedren Street Medicine Program, and other clinical service providers across the country have pioneered.
As happens, the CDU-Kedren team arrived at Dorsey a bit early in the schedule of workout and training activities designed by the principals of the Kayvon Thibodeaux Football and Cheer Camp. That delay allowed team members time to describe the program more fully.
As Marqui Barber explained it, the mobile access street medicine unit is devoted to meeting and counseling various attendees at events such as this. A canopy, intake table, and health supplies were all visible and arranged for ease of access by attendees.
1:40 PM: Arrival at Granada on Broadway After conducting participant screening and counseling, it was time for the CDU Kedren Street Medicine Program team to make its way to Granada on Broadway. As the team was setting up, CDU’ s Social and Sexual Networking Program was hosting its monthly community health fair at the site. The community health fair is sponsored by Granada on Broadway, and Drew CARES. The CDU Social and Sexual Networking Program provides free HIV screening services under the auspices of Drew CARES.
Granada relies heavily on partnerships with various entities ranging from the LA County DPSS, to the statewide CalFresh Program, and the CDU Kedren Street
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