Larkspur supportive housing hosts health fair

Residents of a supportive housing complex in Larkspur attended an inaugural health fair this week.

The permanent housing facility at 1251 S. Eliseo Drive is a 43-room complex built for formerly homeless people. It was funded by the state’s Homekey Program and is operated by Episcopal Community Services.

The fair, held Monday, was the first of what will be a biannual event to reduce barriers to affordable, accessible health care, according to Kristin Ullom, the associate director of housing services with Episcopal Community Services. Ullom said participation in health-related services is higher with a fair than with incremental appointments or events.

“We have such a variety of residents and they all like different things or their needs are different,” said Ullom. “They like to see what the services are and see if those specific things are conducive to what their needs are for the time being. It makes it easier for folks.”

Vendors at the fair included the Ritter Center’s Mobile Clinic, Downtown Streets Team, United Way Bay Area, Marin County Parks and Recreation, OD Free Marin and the Center for Domestic Peace. Ullom said all services are accessible to residents for free.

Mark Shotwell, the chief executive officer for the Ritter Center, said barriers to getting health care range from transportation and accessing insurance to anxiety and mistrust of health care providers. He said many people who have been homeless had negative experiences with the health care system, like being “scolded” by providers for using emergency room services for care despite barriers that prevented access to primary care services.

“We really view the health van as getting the necessary service to people but also developing the trust in the relationship which sometimes changes the narrative,” said Shotwell.

The center’s mobile clinic is a fully equipped medical van, and the center can do any service they would be able to at the clinic. Shotwell said the mobile clinic helps get people started with health care, but the ultimate goal is to get people regularly going to the clinic.

“So then you already have a relationship with somebody, they’re a smiling face, you know the medical assistant and then you show up at Ritter and those are the people you see,” said Shotwell. “That’s really different than coming to a place you haven’t been before and seeing people you haven’t met before. It kind of bridges the gap there.”

According to the California Health Care Foundation’s 2020 report, 42% of people experiencing homelessness reported having a disabling condition — including long-term physical, mental, or emotional impairments, developmental disabilities, injuries and illnesses stemming or worsening during military service, or a HIV/AIDS diagnosis.

Ullom said one goal of the fair is to approach health services in a “full circle” way. For example, the fair included a voter registration booth set up by a member of the League of Women Voters. Grace Hughes, a league member who ran the table, said voting is essential to mental and emotional health — she signed up around 10 new voters in the first half of the fair.

“It’s the self-esteem that comes along with participating in a community,” said Hughes.

Ullom said the fair had a decent turnout, and said staff will follow up with residents on what kind of services they were interested in. In the future, she hopes to expand the vendors to include other services, such as dental and transportation services.

“I thought it was great,” said Lisa Whitten, a resident at the housing complex. “I was surprised, genuinely surprised, by the different areas that it covered. Everyone was full of information.”

Whitten said she will go to future health fairs and felt the first one was successful.

“Everybody was getting the information that they needed, which was good,” she said. “For me personally, the mental health booth was nice. The ladies were very nice and helpful.”