BAPTIST MEMORIAL HEALTH CARE– Memphis , Tennessee
Baptist Operation Outreach Health Care Van for the Homeless Program

What is it?
The Baptist Operation Outreach van travels weekly to a local homeless shelter and a residential treatment and counseling center for the homeless that also offers assistance to political refugees. The van’s patients have direct and immediate access to a certified nurse practitioner who delivers medical examinations, health information, illness prevention, medications, and referral services. Baptist Memorial Health Care invests more than $250,000 a year in the program. 

Who is it for?
Homeless individuals and families in the Memphis community.

Why do they do it?
At the request of Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton, the program started in 1997 as the HOPE Health Center, operated by the Baptist College of Health Sciences, and transitioned to a mobile unit in 2003 to better serve the patient population. More than 7,000 people are homeless in Memphis, and on any given night, approximately 2,000 find themselves without permanent housing – in emergency shelters, transitional or permanent supportive housing facilities for homeless people, or on the streets.

Impact: Since its inception in 2003, the van’s staff has treated far more than 3,000 patients, and 82 percent of those patients have received free medications. The van averages 25-35 patient visits a week.

Contact: Ayoka Pond
Public Relations Manager
Telephone: 901-227-3503
E-mail: ayoka.pond@bmhcc.org