Joining Strengths: Collaboration between SFFD, SFHOT and Sobering

While San Francisco has many services for people experiencing homelessness, there is a small subset of individuals who are still disconnected from care and who utilize a disproportionately high number of emergency medical services.We have created a unique collaboration in San Francisco between three agencies with frequent contact with these complex clients: the San Francisco Sobering Center, an EMS team (EMS-6), and the Homeless Outreach Team. Our novel model incorporates basic medical services, substance use services, intensive case management, and street outreach to decrease emergency department utilization, connect clients to appropriate levels of care, and improve their overall health.