With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
Costa Mesa launches street medicine program
The Costa Mesa Civic Center skyline.
(
MattGush/iStock
/
iStockphoto
)
Topline:
Costa Mesa is launching its first street medicine program, which aims to treat the medical needs of unhoused people by meeting them where they are.
Why it matters: Officials said they had identified 150 unhoused people living in Costa Mesa who could benefit from the street medicine program, which will be run by CalOptima Health and local nonprofit Celebrating Life.
“The goal is to get people housed, but along the way, to take care of their significant health needs,” Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley said at a news conference this week.
Sponsored message
The context: Orange County’s latest homelessness count found the unhoused population rose 28% since the last count in 2022.
The backstory: A representative with CalOptima Health said a similar program that launched about a year-and-a-half ago in nearby Garden Grove had served some 315 unhoused people, with 12 finding permanent housing.
The Costa Mesa street medicine program, which launches this month, will be the second such program offering medical care to unhoused people in Orange County.
In a report published last year, researchers from the Keck School of Medicine identified 25 street medicine programs across California. The majority of those programs were located in Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Go deeper: Homelessness In OC
Trending on LAist
-
From doggie accessories to training tips before the next big storm, we've got you covered. -
The worst of the atmospheric storms have passed, but officials say potential landslides and other hazards will remain. -
There are a 11 candidates running against incumbent George Gascón to be L.A. County's next District Attorney. It's a powerful and influential role that determines what crimes get prosecuted — and whether certain crimes should be considered felonies or misdemeanors. -
Nonstop rain force mandatory evacuations for parts of Los Angeles, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. -
The Emergency Rental Assistance Program will provide up to three months of support to families with unpaid rent or at risk of becoming unhoused. -
Now that L.A. officials know who landlords are trying to evict, city workers are showing up at renters’ doorsteps to offer help.
Best of LAist
