For the thousands of homeless New Yorkers who live on the city's streets, Project Renewal's comprehensive approach to moving individuals into homes and jobs often starts with the offer of food, a shower, a bed, short-term treatment for addiction and primary medical care. We therefore run a range of "low-demand" programs so as to be able to meet people where they are and take them to the next step in their recovery.

Our two fully outfitted medical vans provide professional primary medical care to homeless people 'where they are' - on the streets, in shelters, at soup kitchens and at drop-in centers. Equipped with two fully operational examining rooms and staffed by a team that includes a physician, social worker, nurse practitioner, a pharmacist, a psychiatrist and driver/aide, the MedVan was among the first mobile medical units serving homeless people in the country when it started operations in 1986. Today, we have two vans on the street that offer preventative, urgent and HIV/AIDS services in addition to primary care. In 2010, the two vans provided healthcare to over 3,500 homeless New Yorkers.

The MedVan was featured in an article of Chelsea Now. Read the story here.

Our Mobile Psychiatric Teams function as traveling psychiatric clinics, serving clients in the city's voluntary (privately operated) shelters and drop-in centers. The team includes a psychiatrist, a physician's assistant/nurse practitioner, a nurse, and a driver/aide and is coordinated by a psychiatric nurse. The team is equipped to evaluate and fully treat homeless mentally ill men and women - including medication monitoring - as well as consult with appropriate shelter staff.