Mobile medical care on a plate
Despite hesitating briefly and casting an uncertain, scrutinising glance, the burly man with a ponytail using a crutch decides to head for the white van labelled "Streetmed". Nurse Uta Braune-Krah greets him with a smile and invites him into the mobile clinic.
Homeless people in Bielefeld have quickly gained confidence in Bethel's outreach healthcare programme. For many, Streetmed is the only option for receiving medical treatment. Those who come during the consultation hours of Uta Braune-Krah and her colleague Sabine Brinkkötter usually have an addiction problem, are homeless, mentally ill or poor. For some, it's all of the above.
And the people have something else in common: they don't go to the doctor because they have great inhibitions and are ashamed to go into a surgery. "But anyone who lives on the street for decades in the freezing cold or extreme heat has few opportunities for ensuring personal hygiene, eats poorly and possibly consumes drugs or hard alcohol – they will inevitably develop health problems and need treatment," explains nurse Uta Braune-Krah.
