The INN Between: A place where no one dies alone

Street medicine is breaking down barriers to healthcare access that unhoused individuals face. It brings healthcare directly to them, rather than expecting them to navigate the system on their own. This type of care emerged in Pittsburgh in 1992 and has since created a national network of 85 U.S. cities, 15 countries and five continents. Chicago Street Medicine, specifically, serves about 4,000 patients a year, with the help of its 600 volunteers.

In response to the dangerous gap in health services that incarcerated people face upon release, California and 26 other states have implemented Medicaid waivers allowing coverage to begin up to 90 days before release and continue for up to a year afterward. The program connects inmates with case managers, medications, housing assistance, and mental health care before they walk out the door. California's program has already enrolled more than 50,000 incarcerated people in prerelease services since January 2023.

A mobile diabetes clinic in Calgary brings comprehensive healthcare directly to people experiencing homelessness or low income at community health centers. The team provides services including foot care, retinal scans, blood and urine screening with immediate results, dietary counseling, and connections to housing and mental health programs. The "one-stop-shop" model eliminates the need for patients to travel to multiple appointments, ensuring they get the care they need.

Komfot Health operates a technology-driven network providing post-abortion care and sexual reproductive health services across Nigeria. The organization trains healthcare providers to address biases, uses a chatbot system for patient triage and connects women to verified medical facilities in six states, acting as intermediaries between women seeking care and trusted healthcare providers. Since launching in 2024, Komfot Health has served over 1,790 women.

In Kenya, sex workers face disproportionately high rates of STIs, compounded by widespread antimicrobial resistance and stigma that keeps many from seeking care in public hospitals. In response, the Center for Health Solutions, working alongside the Kisumu County Government and the Kisumu Sex Workers Alliance, launched a community-based program offering free STI screening, lab testing, and peer education to over 50 registered sex workers. The program uses an outreach-first model, finding and linking sex workers to care rather than waiting for them to navigate hostile clinical environments.

Worker-owned home-care cooperatives are emerging as an alternative to the for-profit agencies that dominate America's direct-care sector. In these cooperatives, professional caregivers earn an average of $2 more per hour than the industry standard, share in business decision-making, and stay on the job at nearly double the rate of workers at traditional agencies. Patients also stay with co-op agencies twice as long, suggesting higher satisfaction and quality of care.

California's CARE Court program connects people with severe psychotic disorders to voluntary treatment, housing, and support services through persistent, trust-based outreach. Rather than relying on coercion, the program’s implementation centers on frontline clinicians who make repeated visits over months, meeting clients where they are. The county has received 231 petitions since launch, with 79 active cases and 6 graduates.

Clinica Amistad is a free, volunteer-driven primary care clinic addressing the healthcare access gap for uninsured and underinsured residents, particularly among the Hispanic/Latine community. Operating on $600,000 or less per year, the clinic offers a wide range of services, including chronic disease management, behavioral health counseling, and a Spanish-language pre-diabetes education program. In 2024, the clinic served 956 patients across nearly 2,500 visits, with patient volume growing 10% since 2017.

Amid high rates of breast and cervical cancer, Rays of Hope Hospice expanded beyond traditional end-of-life care to include cancer prevention services, providing cervical and breast cancer screenings in rural areas, on-site treatment for precancerous lesions, community education on HPV vaccines, and vaccination distribution to young girls. Since launching its efforts in 2018, the organization has conducted nearly 29,000 cancer screenings for cervical and breast cancer and has helped vaccinate more than 47,000 girls against HPV. The story was supported by a grant from the Pulitzer Center.

The Mamacare Foundation has trained over 860 traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in hygiene, safe delivery practices, danger-sign recognition, and timely referral systems over the past decade to improve maternal care in the region. The program pairs each TBA with a supervising midwife, creating a collaborative bridge between traditional and modern maternal care. The training has increased referrals from TBAs to clinics by 40%, and district hospitals report fewer emergency cases arriving in critical condition since the Foundation has formed.