In an effort to help homeless residents, Sacramento hires street nurses

It’s a warm summer day in Sacramento and Amanda Buccina, a registered nurse, has just arrived at Johnston Park to see her second patient of the day. Brian is a 68-year-old man diagnosed with leukemia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Although he worked his entire life, Brian’s health conditions caused him to lose both his job and ability to pay rent.

As part of the Street Nurse program launched by WellSpace Health in March 2016 and funded by Sutter Health, Buccina and another nurse, Rennie Jemmings, provide care to the medically fragile homeless population in Sacramento. Five days a week, they take to the streets to care for homeless residents who live under bridges, in alleys or in tents along the river.

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