People can access a range of services when they walk through our clinic doors or connect with our staff in the community.
Our doctors and nurse practitioners, nurses and medical assistants deliver primary medical care to adults, children, youth and families.
At our dental clinics downtown and in West Baltimore, the only dental operatories in Maryland exclusively for people experiencing homelessness, our dentists, dental hygienists and dental assistants provide preventive care to children and adults engaged in health care services at Health Care for the Homeless—and restorative care, including dentures and bridges, to adult clients.
Mental health care starts with one-on-one therapy with our therapists. If an individual is interested in psychiatric medication or a therapist believes psychiatric medication would be helpful in treating that individual's symptoms, the therapist makes a referral to one of our psychiatrists for assessment and treatment.
Through individual and group therapy, our therapists and addictions counselors work with clients to manage and improve symptoms, heal the traumas of homelessness, treat substance use disorders and provide ongoing support groups for those who have attained sobriety.
Let’s just be clear: The word “crazy” doesn't exist in our vocabulary here at Health Care for the Homeless.
As believers in and providers of whole-person care, we know our mental health is just as important to our overall wellbeing as our physical health.
We also know mental health is largely misunderstood in our society. This misunderstanding leads to harmful stereotypes and poor treatment of people struggling with mental health challenges; it can make folks feel like something is wrong with them, or worse, that they have failed. These false assumptions about mental health show up in the casual use of words like “crazy” or “nuts” to describe health-related conditions and behaviors that have very logical (and often medical) explanations.
The brain is like any other part of the body; when it is injured or not working quite right, we react. When an awful situation occurs, like the death of a loved one or the loss of a job or housing, we react. Reacting is normal; it does not mean we have failed. It also can be painful. But we know we can get help for that pain.
At Health Care for the Homeless, we provide the mental health services and supports you need. Here, we are not about judgment and labels. We are about healing. We are about helping you become as all-around healthy as you can be.
Lucia's son Israel (2 months) was one of the first babies born through the obstetrics program at Health Care for the Homeless. Originally from Guerrero, Mexico, she dreams of continuing her studies, bringing Israel's brother to the United States, and her family having their own home.
"That’s what I want people to know: whatever troubles life gives us, you cannot give in. We have to fight to keep moving forward."
People experiencing homelessness are twice as likely as their housed counterparts to experience a heart attack or stroke.