California Health Care Foundation
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          The California Health Care Foundation is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that works to improve the health care system so that all Californians have the care they need.

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          The California Health Care Foundation is an independent, nonprofit philanthropy that works to improve the health care system so that all Californians have the care they need.

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Street Medicine

Our work in street medicine examines care models for unsheltered Californians. We analyze outreach approaches, workforce needs, and payment systems, identifying practices that improve health outcomes while connecting homeless people to comprehensive services and housing pathways.

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    Featured Publications

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    Street medicine practitioner visits with a client who is experiencing homelessness. Illustration created with Adobe Firefly

    Street Medicine

    Although the health system cannot fix every part of the homelessness crisis, there are important roles it can play. CHCF envisions a future where different systems work together effectively so people are housed and healthy.

    January 1, 2025
    Homelessness
    Illustration of nurse talking to patient in recuperative care setting

    Five Ways to Improve Recuperative Care in California

    October 23, 2024
    Homelessness
    Hand holding key

    ‘House Calls’ for People Experiencing Homelessness

    June 9, 2022
    Homelessness
    Illustration of tent set up on the outskirts of a city

    As COVID-19 Was Peaking, LA Delivered Medical Care to People in Emergency Housing

    February 25, 2022
    Homelessness
    Street medicine team from Venice Family Clinic speaks with person experiencing homelessness.

    CHCF Testifies to Lawmakers About Newsom’s Behavioral Health Modernization Proposal

    August 28, 2023
    Behavioral Health

    Recent Resources

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    Street medicine practitioner speaks with man in a parking lot.
    Resource

    Listening to Californians with Complex Needs: Homelessness

    September 22, 2025
    Resource
    Street medicine practitioner talks to man experiencing homelessness.
    Resource

    Enhancing Financial Sustainability for Street Medicine: Examining Medi-Cal Managed Care Contracts with California Providers

    March 7, 2025
    Resource
    Street medicine practitioner visits with a client who is experiencing homelessness. Illustration created with Adobe Firefly
    Resource

    Street Medicine

    January 1, 2025
    Resource
    Dr. Matthew Beare and his staff from Clinica Sierra Vista in Bakersfield distribute medical needs and perform checkups on unhoused people along the Kern River.
    Resource

    Protecting Unhoused Patients from the Harms of Encampment Sweeps

    November 8, 2024
    Resource
    Woman experiencing homelessness receives care from a street medicine team.
    Resource

    Lessons from the Field: How Health Care and Homeless Service Providers Partner for Action

    February 26, 2024
    Resource
    Illustration of doctor treating a person experiencing homelessness in the field. Also called "backpack medicine"
    Resource

    Perspective: Finding a Place to Be Somebody

    February 9, 2024
    Resource
    Resource

    Homelessness Summit for Journalists Emphasizes Need for Firsthand Sources

    November 14, 2023
    Resource
    Street medicine practitioner talks to man experiencing homelessness.
    Resource

    Financial Planning for Street Medicine Providers in California

    August 3, 2023
    Resource

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    OAKLAND
    1438 Webster Street #400
    Oakland, CA 94612
    Tel: 510.238.1040 Fax: 510.201.2991
    Directions to CHCF Oakland

    SACRAMENTO
    1415 L Street #820
    Sacramento, CA 95814
    Tel: 916.329.4540 Fax: 916.329.4544
    Directions to CHCF Sacramento

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