For thirty years, Heartland Alliance Health (HAH) has been dedicated to bringing healthcare to Chicagoans experiencing homelessness – meeting people exactly where they are and providing the care they seek. In the time of COVID-19, that patient-focused care means reducing the barriers that create inequitable access to this vaccine – and developing a first-of-its-kind public health model that prioritizes the most vulnerable in our city.
“While many cities are still developing plans, our city’s targeted, proactive campaign to vaccinate individuals experience homelessness began weeks earlier,” said Heartland Alliance Health’s Mary Tornabene. “This head start has given us the chance to ensure that the process isn’t just successful, it is based in trust and cooperation.”
Since January 25, with the support from the Chicago Department of Public Health, Heartland Alliance Health’s shelter-based care teams have been able to administer first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to over 1,000 people experiencing homelessness and the shelter staff who care for them. Our teams have engaged with and offered the vaccine to residents in almost every shelter from the far north to the far south sides of the city.
But that work started well before the 25th – as our teammates and outreach professionals began educational and relationship-building efforts in late 2020. Ensuring patient-focused care means developing a relationship-first model for care. For us, healthcare is more than just a visit with a doctor or a quick vaccination, it’s an ongoing relationship built to support patients in all aspects of their health and wellness.
“We knew at the onset how this could be difficult for shelters we had never worked with before.” said Katy Kelleghan, HAH Director of Growth. “Here we come, an agency not from the community offering a scarce vaccine at no cost. There is a cause for suspicion, so we start by listening to participants, learning from them, and contributing to their own health goals. That’s what strengths-based work is all about.”
This relational work is necessary to reducing healthcare disparities of all sorts. For the team at St. Leonard’s Ministries on the city’s west side, that relationship-first care is bringing shelter workers and staff one step closer to returning to some semblance of normalcy.
“Heartland Alliance helped the whole team get comfortable,” said Eric Courts, a shelter worker and Employment Specialist at SLM. “They’ve been connecting with us for weeks, and after talking to them we’ve felt a whole lot more confident about getting the vaccine today.”
It’s been a stressful year for Eric and the rest of the shelter. For months, they did their best to maintain social distancing and keeping COVID contraction to a minimum – but serving those experiencing homelessness is essential work, and often times requires working in large groups.
After an extremely successful vaccination event, Eric and the SLM team is equipped with exactly what they need to help the people they serve rebuild their lives.
“This just helps my comfort level. Now I can use all of my energy to help my clients, and hopefully spend more time working with people in person.”
Mary Tornabene has been working for Heartland Alliance Health since the beginning. According to her, this vaccination campaign has propelled healthcare and homelessness services to new and excited levels. Coordinating every single shelter with a healthcare provider brings us one step closer to the ultimate goal: ending homelessness.
“I have seen the impact that a set of keys has on the health of the people we serve,” said Mary. “This city has come together in unique way to respond to this crisis – and now we can get people out of homelessness and into health.”
