Vanderbilt Street Psychiatry
Director: Sheryl Fleisch, MD
The Vanderbilt Street Psychiatry (VSP) clinic, through the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, began in July 2014. The clinic occurs weekly, on Wednesdays, and is a result of a partnership between the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and a local nonprofit organization that has extensive experience providing street outreach and housing services to persons struggling with homelessness and mental illness. The clinic director is a consultation-liaison and addiction medicine certified adult psychiatrist who has expertise in homelessness. PGY-III and PGY-IV psychiatry residents can request the clinic as part of a longitudinal one-year elective rotation; a half-day a week for one PGY-III and a full day a week for two PGY-IV residents. Since inception, all clinic positions have been filled. Each week, one second-year medical student on the psychiatry clerkship will participate in the clinic for an immersive experience. For three months out of the year, two senior medical students will participate in the clinic weekly as part of a community health immersion course.
During rounds, the “street team” engages persons experiencing homelessness at their encampments, necessitating the ability to effectively and often quickly 1) assess the situation 2) break down barriers and 3) built rapport. The street team wears casual attire and carries backpacks with basic medical supplies, bus passes, food cards, hygiene items, and clothing that is utilized to help meet immediate needs. The VSP clinic fills an important health care gap for patients who experience homelessness with mental illness who either cannot or will not access traditional mental health care services.