Hawai‘i H.O.M.E. Project

Teresa Schiff, MD

Director, Office of Medical Education schiff@hawaii.edu (808) 692-0932

Through the Hawai‘i H.O.M.E. (Homeless Outreach and Medical Education) Project, the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) provides free health care services to O`ahu’s homeless populations. H.O.M.E. is administered by the Office of Medical Education (OME) and is staffed by medical students, faculty, and volunteer community physicians.

The goal of the H.O.M.E. Project is to improve access to and the quality of healthcare for Hawai‘i’s homeless. It also aims to increase student and physician awareness and understanding of the issues that face the homeless.

H.O.M.E. operates 5-6 student-run free clinics every week, at 9 sites across O`ahu, servicing both sheltered and unsheltered homeless individuals. Some additional sites have been suspended temporarily due to COVID-19 but we intend to return when conditions allow. Since the start of the clinics in May of 2006, H.O.M.E. Project has provided over 16,250 patient visits for homeless individuals for problems ranging from wound care to acute respiratory problems, to chronic problems like diabetes and hypertension.

Over that same time period, approximately 1,020 medical students at various stages of their medical education have participated in the health outreach efforts of H.O.M.E. Project and the many special events that the program provides for the homeless children and families that they work with.