The first thing nurse practitioner Janice Kochik wants you to know is that the patients she cares for are not homeless.they are homeless.
“People can own a home, own property, and live with their family and pets,” she says. Regardless of their residency status, they should still receive proper medical care. ”
workout Central Outreach Wellness Center, Kochik and a nursing assistant run mobile clinics that provide essential medical and testing services to the homeless throughout Pittsburgh. Most of the time we go to outdoor camps on the North Shore, North Side and South Side.
Central Outreach focuses on Pittsburgh’s LGBTQIA community, which is disproportionately affected by homelessness.
Kochik has spent most of his 30-year career in traditional hospitals covering standard specialties, from intensive care and trauma to emergency medicine and dialysis. Joined in 2016 Operational safety netInternationally acclaimed “Street Medicine” program pioneered by Pittsburgh physician Dr. Jim Withers in the 1990s Pittsburgh Mercy.
with recent rise Among the homeless population of Allegheny County, Kochiku believes there is an urgent need for more medical professionals trained to provide services outdoors.
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Next Pittsburgh: What inspired you to pursue street medicine?
Janice Kochik: About 10 years ago, I decided I wanted to be a flight nurse and went back to school to get my bachelor’s degree. As part of that program, I participated in a medical mission to Honduras. I wanted to do more outreach like this and reach out to people who have difficulty accessing regular medical care. I didn’t know how to do it regularly.
Next Pittsburgh: Then did you hear about Operation Safety Net?
Kochiku: My son is in medical school and Dr. Withers gave a talk in his class. My son said, “Mom, I have to check this out!” Until then, I didn’t know that what I wanted to do was to be done systematically. I am pursuing my master’s degree in nursing from Carlow University and wrote his paper on the peak program on hypertension and the homeless. After I graduated, Operation Safety Net hired me as its first nurse.
Next Pittsburgh: What was your first impression when you saw Street Medicine up close?
Kochiku: I had no idea that people living outside need so much medical care. They just slip through the cracks in our normal healthcare system. There was no protocol for me to follow. Luckily, there were so many outreach his workers who assisted the medical team and provided patients with all sorts of things: clothing, water, housing assistance, veterinary care. I learned how to navigate the streets from them.
Next Pittsburgh: You worked for Operation Safety Net for four years.
Kochiku: It taught me so much. You work completely outside.you treat people their environment.You get to know them in their environment so you can provide a different quality of care. theyto ensure better follow-up.
Next Pittsburgh: Why?
Kochiku: They don’t come to the office and sit for an hour. Or they don’t show up at all because they don’t have the necessary transportation. I say, “Now let’s meet in this corner of your area. I will.” They control dating. When the outreach van arrives, you can meet everyone in the camp if time permits. We offer a wide range of services including testing for sexually transmitted diseases, HIV and hepatitis C. We can put people in vans for treatment. It’s always nice to see people coming back.
Next Pittsburgh: Because we have built trust.
Kochiku: We have built relationships that build trust. When people live outside, they do not trust many inside. It’s hard to trust them to open up and keep medical personnel showing up. I can get to know them, follow up and see as much as they want to see. I provide medical access to people who cannot always get medical care due to their current lifestyles and living conditions. Being able to treat people in their own environment improves health care and reduces the stigma associated with these conditions.
Next Pittsburgh: What is your main focus now?
Kochiku: We focus on Hepatitis C, HIV, sexually transmitted disease treatment and prevention, and harm reduction education. These conditions affect entire communities, not just those living outside.
Next Pittsburgh: you too skilled visual artistYou have exhibited at the Pittsburgh Artists Association, Pittsburgh’s Associated Artists, and the Cranberry Artists Network. Did it start as a way to free yourself from your job?
Kochiku: Art is definitely cathartic. I have been painting and drawing all my life. I worked on murals for a while. About eight years ago I founded the Art & Inspiration group at his Shaler North Hills Library.
Next Pittsburgh: The titles are interesting: ‘Refugees’, ‘Reuse’, ‘Resist Opposition’, ‘Relax’, ‘Gratitude’, ‘Reuse’…
Kochiku: Each piece of my art is usually associated with one person. something that happened, a situation, or a person. Use found objects to do basic strokes such as sticks, rocks, and pieces of metal. I also write poetry. I put it on the back of the picture.
Next Pittsburgh: What can we do as a society, as residents of this particular community, to solve the medical inequities that street medicine seeks to address?
Kochiku: The first step is to have a house with water, electricity and heating. Very important. How can you stabilize yourself if you are not in a stable environment? The comfort of having four walls is the foundation. Without these basic amenities, it’s difficult to focus on anything else.
Personally, people always ask us what we need. Shoes, socks, gloves, hand sanitizer, masks, bandages. There are college students and church members who want to help clean up the camp. People anonymously drop things at my house.
Pittsburgh has many excellent medical resources and many excellent clinics serving low-income and homebound patients. AHN Inclusion Health Center Provide medical care to people who do not have stable living conditions. Street Outreach He thinks he needs more workers and medical teams. This is good for the general community in many ways.
i love my job I will always remain someone who works with vulnerable people.
