Highlighting The Night Ministry's Innovative Use of Telehealth Technology

Author: Kristen Mathew, The Family Van Volunteer

This week we would like to celebrate the efforts of The Night Ministry’s Street Medicine team of health care providers, social workers, and outreach professionals that bring care directly to medically underserved areas throughout Chicago. The struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in a sharp uptick in opioid-related overdoses and deaths, especially amongst Chicago’s local homeless populations.

In partnership with University of Illinois (UI) Hospital and physicians from University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), The Night Ministry has developed an innovative opioid telehealth treatment program which has brought significant relief to many in this community. Sparked by collaboration between the organizations and made possible by an easing of federal regulations for telehealth services, the team has been able to combat some of this population’s most significant barriers to health. A direct phone line to UIC physicians at UI’s Mile Square Health Center has enabled the Street Medicine team to connect homeless individuals struggling with substance abuse to one-on-one telehealth appointments within 15 minutes.

“For many folks that don't have consistent access to transportation, health insurance, or even watches to keep up with appointments, this telemedicine piece is a huge help” stated Stephan Koruba, Senior Nurse Practitioner with The Night Ministry. This program has been well-received by the community, and to date, the clinic has supported roughly 60 people through opioid detoxification services.

The Night Ministry’s Health Outreach Program, which includes the Street Medicine team, operates at multiple platforms. Their mobile bus has a set schedule, operating six days a week as an anchor of resources for individuals struggling with homelessness and low-income people in the community. In contrast, even though they also provide services six days a week, the locations and times of The Night Ministry’s Street Medicine Van mobile clinic are subject to the needs of the day and are specifically designated to provide resources to Chicago’s unsheltered homeless population. As many homeless individuals use the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) train as an unofficial shelter during the cold Chicago winter, The Night Ministry recently expanded the scope of their outreach services to include transit stations where they meet people as they make transfers off the train.

The Night Ministry provides free health care and resources such as food and survival supplies on Chicago's mass transit system.

While The Night Ministry coordinates the initial and follow-up telemedicine appointments, they also pick up prescriptions, distribute supportive medications, and coordinate bus passes for individuals to get to a local pharmacy. The team has also begun piloting a microdosing regime, in which therapeutic doses of Suboxone are increased incrementally over the course of two weeks. “We’ve had some success with it, it’s attractive to people who may need to take a bit more time at certain steps” said Koruba, “As long as they’re making progress, we support that activity.”

We applaud the accomplishments of The Night Ministry to support the underserved homeless population, particularly those amidst the opioid epidemic, during this challenging time. Their partnership with UI Health’s Mile Square Health Center and UIC physicians and innovative use of telehealth technology has helped minimize many of the barriers to care traditionally faced by individuals in this community.