Care Beyond the Boulevard
Nearly 600,000 people in the U.S. experience homelessness each day, with 1,798 of those affected on the streets in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Care Beyond the Boulevard is working to address this socioeconomic barrier to wellness by providing comprehensive medical and mental health care five days a week through its mobile and stationary clinics.
Care Beyond the Boulevard delivers high-quality, evidenced-based care and diagnosis and treatment plans outside the bounds of the traditional healthcare setting for unsheltered homeless patients by taking the healthcare organization directly to the patient. In 2022, Care Beyond the Boulevard’s volunteer staff – consisting of 15 healthcare providers and over 200 community members – served 3,000 patients and completed more than 9,000 visits.
“For many of our patients, medical care often takes a back seat when they are thinking about where to get their next meal. But that’s when our patients need us the most,” stated KK Assmann, executive director, Care Beyond the Boulevard. “With the WellSky Foundation’s generous grant, we can expand our impact to serve more people across the Kansas City metropolitan area and become a force for healthcare equality and social change.”
Leveraging this donation from the WellSky Foundation, the organization will enhance their medical services with a portable ultrasound machine to assist with diagnoses and a new van to transport their team, medical resources, and the people they serve.
All of Care Beyond the Boulevard’s services are free and do not require insurance or documents of any kind. Clinics are set up for patients to walk up and receive the assistance they need, including acute care for wound care, burns, upper respiratory illnesses, and other short-term medical problems; routine care such as check-ups and follow up appointments to manage chronic illnesses and medication; seasonal care in the form of physicals for children and vaccines; and case management assistance specific to medical records and housing.
“At the WellSky Foundation, our team is driven by our passion to make lasting health and wellness accessible for all,” stated Brett Fuller, executive director, WellSky Foundation. “It’s organizations like Care Beyond the Boulevard that demonstrate our mission daily by providing comprehensive medical care to people experiencing homelessness. We are thrilled to enable their continued work in the Kansas City area.”